Let's Love Hate
by Foreverx17
Summary: Edward and Bella have been separated for three months, can’t stand each other, and—oh yeah—their family has no idea. ALL-HUMAN; SLIGHTLY OOC; CANON PAIRINGS; FULL SUMMARY INSIDE
1. What Just Happened

_**Disclaimer: **********__Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer._

*****FULL SUMMARY:*****

**_Edward Cullen and Bella Swan have been married for three years and are on their way to Seattle, Washington to commence Alice Cullen and Jasper Whitlock's upcoming wedding. It is going to be a momentous occasion filled with family togetherness and heartwarming love._**

_**The only problem is that** **Edward and Bella have been separated for three months, can't stand each other, and—oh yeah—their family has no idea.**_

**Author's Note: This is my first time ever writing an all-human fan fic for Twilight (aside from my rpf about Rob Pattinson which I hope to publish on here very soon) so I am extremely nervous and excited. This story line came to me after a while and I looked online to see if I could find a fan fic like this, but I didn't so I decided to just go ahead and start writing it and see what happens. As of now the first four chapters are written and I am quickly falling in love with this story. I hope you all like it. Please leave your thoughts! Thank you! Enjoy!**

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_**Bella POV**_

"_Stop squirming, Bella."_

_I looked at Edward and gave him a hard glare. He just returned it with his own; I hated to admit it, but his was sexier. _

"_Shut up, Edward. This is your fault you know," I snapped back._

"_How in the hell is this my fault, Isabella?" he demanded._

"_It just…fucking is. And don't you dare call me Isabella ever again," I seethed angrily. He knew I hated being called by my full name._

"_Why not? _Isabella. Marie. Swan?_" he said, emphasizing each and every syllable just to get under my skin._

_I sighed in frustration and slouched back into my seat. We were currently on an airplane—in first class of course—flying from where Edward and I lived in New York, all the way to where his family was in Seattle, Washington._

_It was funny. I almost laughed. How was it that I was currently on an airplane, going to visit a family that I wasn't even technically a part of anymore, with the one man that I could not stand?_

_Because, oh, that's right—I am a complete and utter idiot._

XxXxX

**-One Week Earlier-**

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I groaned and flipped over onto the other side of the bed and put the covers further over my head, willing the noise to go away.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I tried putting a pillow on my face, but it was no use. I looked over at the alarm clock on my bedside table and nearly groaned again. 7:55 a.m. on a Saturday morning. Who the in the hellwas calling me at this ungodly hour on a Saturday morning?

With a heavy sigh, I haphazardly fumbled around my bed to look for my cell phone. I had fallen asleep talking to one of the senior editors for the magazine I worked for here in New York and I was too tired to put it on my dresser to charge.

I finally got a hold of my blackberry and squinted through sleepy eyes to check the caller i.d.

Of course. _Alice._

I sighed again and answered. "Hello?" I practically spat out.

"Good morning, Bella!" Alice's voice rang out on the other line.

"Oh my God, Alice, it's only five in the morning there. Why are you calling me so effing early?" I demanded.

"Because that way it's almost eight in the morning _there_. I didn't want to call you _too _early," the little pixie giggled.

"Well eight o'clock is still pretty early if you haven't noticed," I pointed out angrily, throwing the covers off of myself and walking toward the bathroom.

"Silly Bella. It's only early if you are lazy," she said, emphasizing the last word.

I shook my head and smiled at her antics as I began washing my face and holding the phone to my ear. "Okay well now that you've succeeded in waking me from my wonderful slumber, to what do I owe this displeasure?" I asked, only half joking.

"Jazz and I are getting married, Bella!" she sang out excitedly.

My mouth fell open and I almost dropped the phone. Alice and Jasper had been dating since high school and I always knew they would eventually tie the knot; everyone did. We were all just waiting for it to happen.

"Oh my God, Alice! That's fantastic! It's about time!" I replied excitedly.

"I know. It's going to be a July wedding and—"

"Wait, wait, wait," I interjected her excitement. "_July_? Alice, it's already the beginning of June. Isn't that a bit…soon?" I asked cautiously.

She laughed softly. "Silly Bella. True love does not wait. You know this. Speaking of which, where is Edward? He isn't answering his cell and I want to share the good news with him.

"Um…" I thought carefully. "He, uh, he's at work…probably in a meeting," I lied easily.

"Oh," she said, seeming a bit hesitant to accept that answer, but too excited about her engagement to address it. "Alright, well, tell him I called okay? I miss you both!"

"I miss you too, Alice," I said sincerely. "I can't wait to come up for the wedding." The line was silent and I thought maybe we got disconnected. "Alice? Are you still there?"

"Yes," her voice suddenly rang out. "Oh, Bella, I'm so glad to hear that because…well…" she trailed off.

"Yes, Alice?" I managed through gritted teeth. She was taking too long with this. Something was up.

"Please don't hate me. I know you don't like when I make plans for you without telling you first, but we are flying you and Edward out here in a week so you guys can start helping with the wedding! Because you and Rose need to pick out dresses and of course Edward is going to be the best man because he and Jasper have been best friends forever and—"

I cut her off instantly as she went on her little tirade. "Alice! Hold on. What do you mean you're flying us out there?" I asked.

"To Seattle, Washington of course," she answered. I could practically hear her rolling her eyes at me. "Bella the wedding is in just five weeks and I need you and Edward here to help me. You guys are the epitome of a perfect marriage. Well, aside from my mom and dad of course."

I closed my eyes tight and tried not to let the tears that were threatening to escape erupt just yet. I had to stay strong just a little bit longer.

"Of course, Alice," I finally choked out, on the brink of tears. "Edward and I would love to come out there. You're my best friend. You know I'd do anything for you. Edward too. You're the only sister he's got after all, right?" I managed a weak laugh at the end, but my voice was shaking as silent tears ran down my face.

"Oh, Bella, are you crying?" Alice asked. She sounded touched and I realized she probably thought I was crying out of joy for her. "It'll be okay, sweetie," she cooed. I heard a male voice somewhere in the background and recognized it as Jasper's. "Oh, I have to go. Jasper and I are going to go book the location today. I'll tell you more about it when you get here! I can't wait to see you. I love you, Bella!"

I put a hand over my face and took deep breaths to calm myself. "I love you too, Alice," I all but whispered.

"Oh and Bella?" Alice said quietly right when I was about to hang up.

"Yes?" I managed, gaining some self control.

"Give Edward a big kiss for me."

I almost burst into tears right there. I managed to squeak out a weak 'goodbye' to Alice before hanging up the phone and sliding to the bathroom floor. I just sat there crying, remembering the way that mine and Edward's relationship had epically fallen apart.

I had known Edward since we were kids. I practically grew up with the Cullens in Forks, Washington since my own mother and father had gotten divorced. I lived with Charlie, but he was the chief of police and couldn't stay home to watch me for very long. My mother, Renee, was traveling with her new husband, Phil, since he was a minor league baseball player. At one point it was kind of like I had nowhere to go.

Then Charlie started having his friend, Dr. Carlisle Cullen, watch me with his wife, Esme, since they had three children of their own.

Those were some wonderful years. It wasn't until the end of my junior year of high school that I realized Edward was the one for me. Alice, who was one year younger than us, insisted that Edward be my date to prom because I didn't even have any plans to go. He shocked me by actually accepting. He kissed me that night and we both realized we had loved each other from the first moment we had met.

We stayed together for the rest of high school and upon graduation; we both attended a local community college together. Then Edward got offered an internship at a law firm in New York City when we were twenty. He had always wanted to be a lawyer so I told him to go for it, but he didn't want to leave me. I couldn't let him give up his dream so we broke both of our parents' hearts and moved to New York together, leaving everything and every one we knew behind.

I wanted to be a writer so I began working at a local newspaper company. It was part time and not so good pay, but it was good practice.

A year after that, when Edward and I were both twenty-two, I got offered my own column in one of the most popular magazines in New York. My dream was to be a journalist and _The New York Times_ was where I hoped to end up, but everyone had to start somewhere so I accepted and started writing various advice columns for the magazine. It was a job that I was very excited to have and even if _The New York Times _never happened, I would be happy and content with where I was now.

Edward took me to dinner the night after I got offered the position.

He proposed.

We were married a few months after that, at which point the Cullens moved from Forks to Seattle, Washington. Carlisle got a new job at a hospital there and Alice didn't want to be separated from her parents, so she and Jasper uprooted as well. Emmett's long time girlfriend and now current wife, Rosalie, also owned her own clothing store there and so he moved up there with them.

Edward and I were happily married for three years. We loved each other and enjoyed living in our beautiful apartment in one of the nicer places in New York City. Edward had continued going to school and was finally offered a permanent position in one of the most prestigious law firms in New York about a year after our marriage. He was young, but he was smart. He was everything I ever wanted and I knew he felt the same way about me.

It was_ her_ fault. If she had never come into the picture, everything would have been fine. Edward kept telling me not to worry; that she was just a lonely young woman who was attracted to any and all men, but I didn't buy it.

Tanya Denali became Edward's new assistant a year ago and I knew I hated her from the first moment I laid my eyes on her. She was tall with strawberry blonde hair, a huge ass, and enormous tits. Every time I went to the office to go to lunch with Edward, she'd be there with him, talking to him, flirting with him.

Edward was a gentleman so he never told her to back the fuck off like I would have, but I could still tell he was uncomfortable. It pissed me off when she would ruin our lunch dates by making sure Edward had a meeting or something else planned. I told him about her conniving ways more than once, but he just thought I was being paranoid.

Then things started cooling off for a while. Until three and a half months ago. It was our three year anniversary and Edward was going to take me to dinner. I knew he had to work a little later than usual that night so I decided to just surprise him by meeting him at the office with some champagne.

No one was there when I arrived. I only saw Edward's silver Volvo parked in the parking complex as well a couple other vehicles; probably belonging to the janitor or security guards.

I made my way up to his floor and down the dim hallway toward the door I knew belonged to his office. It was open a crack with light coming through and I smiled to myself at the thought of my husband working so long and hard. I wanted to help him release some tension.

The sight before me when I opened the door made me drop the bottle of champagne and the two glasses I had been holding.

Edward's head turned in my direction swiftly and his shocked eyes met mine. Tanya was straddling his lap on the chair wearing nothing but a trashy piece of lingerie.

"Bella!" he had yelled after me as I took off running down the hallway, back to the garage, and into my car. I cried the entire way home. My phone kept going off and I knew it was Edward, but I didn't answer.

I finally reached the apartment and ran up to our floor. I fumbled with the keys out in the hallway, tears still running down my face as I cried.

"Bella?" a man's voice stopped my movements from behind.

I turned around to see Jacob Black, our neighbor down the hall, looking at me with concern in his eyes. Edward never liked Jacob because he always thought he had a crush on me—which he did, it was painfully obvious. But he was a good neighbor and a good friend so I allowed him into my life.

"Are you okay?" he had asked.

I shook my head and he didn't waste any time wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug. I invited him inside where we sat and drank wine and I told him about what had happened. He sat and listened silently as I talked and cried and talked and cried some more.

The alcohol was getting to me and I was so vulnerable that before I knew what was happening, I had leaned in and was kissing Jacob Black, right there, on mine and Edward's leather couch. I pulled Jacob on top of me as we continued kissing, only halting our ministrations when the front door swung open, and his velvet voice broke through the moment.

"Bella, let me explain I—!"

I looked up and over at the door to see Edward standing there, watching the scene before us in complete shock. He looked hurt, confused, and in the end, just plain fucking angry.

His jaw clenched and he glared at Jacob. Hard. "Get the fuck off my wife," he gritted through clenched teeth.

Jacob quickly sprung up and cautiously walked over to where Edward was standing by the front door. He looked at me sympathetically and then at Edward. I thought I heard Edward actually growl at him, but I couldn't be sure. Jake took off running after that and I hadn't heard from him since.

Edward slammed the door shut behind him before turning his glare to where I was sitting on the couch, out of breath and a bit messy from my little make-out session with Jacob.

"What the fuck are you doing, Bella?" he had seethed.

"Exactly what you were doing with that slut in your office, _Edward_," I defended angrily as I got off the couch and stood there, holding my ground.

"You ran out of there before I could even explain!" he yelled back.

"Explain what? Explain how I loved you, how I married you, how I gave everything I fucking had to you only to come there, on our anniversary and find that slut Tanya all over you in your office?! How the hell are you going to explain that, Edward?!" I was literally shaking with anger now.

"What about _you_?!" he spat back just as angry as me. "I come in here to find my wife making out with that little piece of shit, excuse for a man! How do you think _I_ feel?!"

Okay, now I was angry. "How _you _feel," I scoffed vehemently. "I could give a flying fuck how you feel, Edward. I told you…I fucking _told you_ from the beginning that Tanya had a thing for you and you kept telling me I was being paranoid…that I was wrong. Well guess what? I _was_ wrong because she didn't just want _you_….you wanted her _too_! God how could I be so stupid?!" I threw my hands up in the air, surprised at how I had missed this. She was beautiful and I was nothing but plain old Bella.

"In no fucking world do I want Tanya Denali!" he retorted. "What you saw was a misunderstanding, Bella! Nothing happened. She came into my office and _threw_ herself at me!"

"Save the crap, Edward, I'm over it," I said in a low, shaky voice. "I just…I can't believe you did this to me," I said, on the verge of bursting into tears once again.

"I didn't do anything to you, Bella," he said in a gentler voice. I looked up at him and saw his eyes were red from his own unshed tears.

I nodded. "You're right. You _didn't _do anything. You just let it happen." I went to walk past him out the door, but he blocked my way.

"You're one to talk," he spat back, his voice becoming low and angry once again. "You were just in here throwing yourself at Jacob Black. And you actually had a say in what was happening. _I_ didn't."

"Stop defending yourself. It's pathetic." I looked away from him and sighed. "I'll be out of here by the end of the week." And that was all I said before walking into the bedroom we once shared and slamming the door shut behind me, making sure it was locked before throwing myself onto the bed and crying until morning.

It was three months later and here I was, sitting on the bathroom floor crying again. Edward and I had hardly spoken in the last three months. We weren't divorced, just separated, waiting for the papers to come any day now.

At first, he had made attempts to contact me, but after a while, he just stopped. I moved into my own apartment in downtown where I was closer to my work and farther away from him.

We never told the Cullens or even Charlie or Renee about anything that had happened because we hadn't seen any of them in person since Christmas of last year. It would break their hearts to know our marriage had crumpled so we decided not to discuss it until it was final.

I burst into another round of tears as I pictured Esme's beautiful face contorting into one of pain when we told her the news. And Alice. Oh god, Alice. She had been the one who saw that we were meant for each other from the very beginning. We couldn't tell her yet, especially before the wedding. It would ruin everything.

I sighed and collected myself off the floor before stripping off my clothes and getting into the shower. Afterwards, I brushed my hair and put on a pair of comfy shorts and a tank top. I went downstairs to make myself some breakfast.

I was just in the middle of scrambling my eggs when my phone vibrated on the counter, signaling a new message. I wiped my hands off on a dish towel and picked up the blackberry before reading the text and almost collapsing to the floor once again.

_We need to talk._

_-Edward_

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**Author's Note: Thoughts? Love it? Hate It? Please let me know! :)**


	2. The Deal

**_Disclaimer_****_: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer. _**

**Author's Note****: I am very happy with the amount of reviews I received for the first chapter. Seriously you guys thank you so much. Your comments help keep me motivated to make this story as wonderful as possible. I really hope it does not disappoint. It is harder for me to reply to reviews on because some people have disabled pm's or it is just hard to keep track so just know I appreciate each and every one. I do leave author's responses to reviews on since it's easier and quicker there so if you have a question or something you want me to answer in a review, you can head on over there too! :) **

**Alright so here is the next chapter. I decided to post it a little earlier just so you guys could get a better understanding of the direction of this story. I am going to aim for at least one update per week. This chapter starts out in Edward's POV and then ends with a little bit of Bella. I will be alternating between the two POV's through out this story. I will use other character POV's as well if necessary. This chapter will definitely clear some things up. Enjoy! **

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_**Edward POV**_

I hated having to come into work on the weekends. Maybe if some people did their jobs correctly then I would be able to sleep in on a Saturday for once. I always had a ton of paperwork to fill out and no one around to help me. I needed a new assistant. An ugly, fat, old assistant. A male assistant. Yes, an old, hairy, bald, male assistant who would only speak when spoken to.

I was still in the process of hiring a new assistant after having fired my last one. The memory of that situation hit me like a ton of breaks as I turned around in my chair and looked out the large windows that offered me a beautiful view of New York City.

It was that night. That one _fucking_ night.

XxXxX

_I groaned and finally finished replying to the last of my e-mails. I looked at the clock and knew Bella would be waiting for me at home to take her to dinner for our three year anniversary. The thought made me smile as I began to shut down my computer and collect my paperwork into my briefcase._

_There was a knock at the door and I looked up to see my assistant, Tanya Denali, standing there in a short black dress. She was smiling at me seductively as she stepped into my office, closing the door behind her. I watched her in utter confusion as she started walking over to me._

"_Tanya, I thought you left," I said. Everyone else in the office had already gone home for the weekend._

_She shrugged and winked. "I didn't want to leave you here all alone." She came around the desk and stood in front of me._

_It was no secret that Tanya had a crush on me. I always tried being polite about it, but even Bella noticed. I was reassuring myself more than her that it was nothing to worry about. Little did I know she'd come corner me in my own office where no one was around to hear me scream._

"_Tanya this is very inappropriate. Not to mention that I'm _married_." I emphasized the last part very loudly so she'd understand that I only had eyes for Bella._

_I tried to get up to leave, but she pushed my shoulders back down before shrugging out of her dress and straddling me in nothing but a skimpy piece of black lace lingerie._

"_Tanya, what the—" I was silenced by her cold fingers on my lips._

"_Shhh," she cooed. "Just relax."_

_Just as I was about to stand up and knock her off of me—I was usually a gentleman, but she was obviously not getting the hint—I heard the sound of glass breaking in the doorway and quickly turned my head in the direction of the door only to see Bella standing there looking like she was on the verge of tears._

_I had been relieved she had come to my rescue; that is until she turned around and took off running down the hall. I finally managed to get Tanya off of me before running down the hall after her and calling her name, but she was gone._

_I turned everything off in my office, grabbed my briefcase, told Tanya to pack her shit and get the hell out, before bolting down to my Volvo and breaking every traffic violation in the state as I made my way home._

_I wasn't expecting, however, to find my wife under Jacob Black when I arrived. I always knew he had a crush on her, but to be making out with her in my own house? That was seriously messed up._

_After scaring him into leaving, I tried to explain the misunderstanding to Bella, but she wasn't having any of it. She accused me of cheating even though she had just been in our own home, all over that piece of shit._

_She went into our room that night and left early morning before I even had a chance to try and explain myself. I tried calling her after that, but she never answered my phone calls. It was unfair that I had done nothing wrong and she was avoiding me. The thought of her thinking I would want anyone but her sickened me almost as much as the memory of her on the couch with Jacob._

_I sold the couch a week later._

XxXxX

So here I was, three months later with nothing to show for it. Bella and I only talked if we were going over the divorce papers and that was very rare. All I wanted was my wife back. I wanted her to sit and listen to me explain what had happened that night and then afterwards, I would forget all about who she had been kissing when I came home. I would forgive her because I just wanted _her_. But she never gave me the chance to explain.

I was brought out of my musings by my phone vibrating in my pocket. I sighed and looked down at the screen and smiled as I answered, "Alice. How are you?" I loved my little sister. She always knew how to make my day.

"Good morning, big brother," she replied cheerfully. "I cannot believe you are working on a Saturday! Bella said you were in a meeting. I didn't interrupt did I?" she asked.

_She had talked to Bella today? Bella had mention me? _

"Uh no, I just got back," I lied, keeping to the story that Bella had started for some inexplicable reason.

"Good," she said excitedly. "Have you talked to Bella yet today?"

I was suddenly hit with that oh-so-familiar pang of pain and guilt that came whenever somebody said her name. Of course we hadn't told my family or hers about what had happened; that would simply destroy them. We figured it would be easier to break it to them gently once everything was finalized.

"No, I haven't, Alice. Why?" I replied as nonchalantly as I could.

"Brace yourself! Jazz and I are getting married in five weeks and you're the best man!" she screamed excitedly.

"Alice that's great! I'm so happy for both of you!" I answered sincerely. I always knew they would get married eventually. We were all just waiting.

"And the best part is that we are paying for you and Bella to fly down here in a week to help with the wedding plans. I already talked to Bella and she said you guys would love to come!"

"Of course," I managed. "We'll be there." _Fuck._

"Alright, well we're looking at places right now so I gotta go. But Edward?" she added.

"Yes?" Fuck, all I wanted to do was end this conversation. _Now_.

"I don't know just…something seemed off when I talked to Bella earlier. Is she okay?" she asked, concern evident in her tone. She and Bella were best friends, pretty much sisters, so of course she sensed something was wrong.

"Yea, Alice. I'm sure she's just tired from work or something," I lied.

"Okay," she said, seeming less than convinced. "I love you. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Alice." I hung up the phone and then just sat there staring at it.

How in the hell were we going to spend four weeks with my family without them realizing that Bella and I weren't speaking? I groaned internally before realizing what I had to do.

I picked up my phone and typed in the only thing I could think of before pressing send. I hadn't used her number in a long time, but I didn't even have to look her up in my contact list. I knew it by heart.

_We need to talk._

_-Edward_

About a minute later, my phone buzzed with a reply. I hadn't realized I was shaking with anticipation at what she was going to say. I finally sucked it up and opened the message.

_I know. Café On Broadway? Noon?_

_-Bella_

It almost felt like the old days when we were together and would set up a date or something. I pushed those thoughts aside and texted her a quick reply.

_See you there._

_-Edward_

The rest of the morning went by in a complete blur as I waited for lunch time to finally roll around. I don't know why I was so anxious to go see Bella. Maybe it was the fact that I hadn't seen her in person for months now. Or maybe it was the tiny bit of hope I felt at the prospect of us being in one of our favorite café's together again. Maybe she would give me a chance to talk and explain things. Maybe…shit…it was useless. I wasn't an idiot. If she felt nearly as terrible about seeing me with Tanya as I did seeing her with Jacob Black, I wouldn't blame her if she never wanted to look at me again.

But then why wasn't _I_ pissed off and ready to scream at her the first chance I got? Oh that's right, because I was an idiot who had no balls and was madly in love with her.

Finally eleven thirty rolled around. I walked over to the closet at the corner of my office and opened it to check myself in the mirror hanging on the inside, making sure I looked somewhat presentable. My bronze hair was a complete disarray as usual, but my simple black suit and matching tie looked good enough that it cancelled out the whole hair thing.

I took a deep breath before collecting all of my papers, throwing them in my briefcase, and locking up my office for the rest of the weekend. I swiftly made my way down to the parking complex and hopped into my silver Volvo. Before I knew it, I was parked in front of Café On Broadway, practically having a panic attack as I contemplated the repercussions of my actions if I just turned around and drove back to the office and pretended this whole thing never happened. None of my family members needed to know that Bella and I were separated. We would simply show up to the wedding and not speak. That wouldn't be too suspicious, right?

I was actually becoming dizzy and lightheaded from my nervousness—so much so that that plan didn't sound half bad. That was, of course, until I glanced in my rearview mirror and saw the most beautiful human specimen make her way into the café.

Bella was wearing black pants that hugged her ass quite nicely, along with a simple purple blouse. Her beautiful brown hair had grown a little past her shoulders since the last time I had seen her. The way she looked alone was all the encouragement I needed to get out of the car.

I didn't even register myself walking around to the entrance or entering the café. Suddenly I was standing in front of the hostess stand, asking where Isabella Swan was seated and being led to a small booth in the far back of the restaurant.

Bella was sitting there, looking absolutely beautiful in the dim light of the restaurant as she absentmindedly flipped through the_ New York Times. _That was her dream job. I was surprised she hadn't accomplished it yet; she was so talented.

Her head came up slowly when she heard footsteps coming in her direction. Our gazes connected with one another's and I had to stop myself from getting on my knees and begging for forgiveness. She was too damn beautiful.

I thanked the hostess with a small smile and she just winked at me and walked off as I slid in the booth across from Bella. I didn't take my eyes off of her and she didn't look away from me either. I had to break the silence.

"You look beautiful," I said softly and cautiously once I was seated. This was our first face to face meeting in nearly three months.

She blushed—like she always did—and held back a small smile, but quickly caught herself and cleared her throat, folding up the newspaper and setting it aside before looking at me with a somber expression. "I take it Alice called you," she said in a flat tone.

_Is that how it was going to be? Fine, I could be just as emotionless as her._

"Yea, she did," I replied curtly, glaring down at the table, angry at the direction this discussion was going.

The waitress came by again and took our drink and lunch orders. I noticed that she paid extra attention to me as she absentmindedly licked her lips. I fought the urge to shutter; Not out of pleasure, but out of the fact that she was making me so damn uncomfortable staring like that.

I watched her walk away, thankful she was leaving us alone for the time being, when I heard a small chuckle escape Bella's lips. I turned back to her and looked at her confused.

"What?" I asked.

She re-collected herself and sighed, shaking her head. "Nothing. Just nice to know some things never change," she said sarcastically.

_Are you fucking kidding me?_

"Are you fucking kidding me?" _Shit._ I wasn't supposed to say that out loud. "What do you mean, 'some things never change'?" I asked in a harsher tone than I had intended.

"Relax, Edward. It's not your fault you're so irresistible to women," she replied in a sarcastic tone once again.

Was she really going to be like this? I hadn't done anything wrong that night with Tanya. She was the one who was all over Jacob Black in _our _living room. On _our _couch.

"Funny you say that," I retorted. Her expression turned from humor to a glare in a matter of seconds. "I believe you were the one who jumped the first person you ran into. He took advantage of you, Bella!"

"Shut up, Edward," she spat back through gritted teeth. I suddenly felt guilty when I saw the tears emerge from her eyes. "You were there…on our anniversary…with…" she trailed off, choking up as she wiped her tears away quickly.

Back to that. Always _fucking_ back to that.

"You never let me explain that to you!" I declared in frustration, raising my voice a bit.

"Just forget about it, Edward. It's over and done. The papers should be coming any day now and then we'll no longer have to have any form of communication whatsoever," she said after she had composed herself. The tears were gone and she was now forcing a small smile, pretending like everything was okay. I just sat there, glaring at her, trying to mask the pain that was ripping through me at her words. "You're sister's getting married," she continued, trying to sound cheerful, but failing epically. "That's the last thing we will ever have to do together. Then we're both of the hook."

I just sat there silently, letting her words hang in the air between us for a few moments before speaking. "You're absolutely right," I managed. "This is the last thing we'll have to do and then we can move on with our lives. We can each be happy. _Finally_." I was surprised that I actually managed to say the words without wincing as they came out of my mouth.

I saw a flash of hurt in her eyes, but it disappeared just as fast as it had arrived. Good. As long as I knew she was hurting at least a little bit—because I was hurting a fucking lot— then I would be satisfied.

"We'll have to figure something out then," she started after a few more moments of silence had passed. "We can't break the news to everyone right before Alice and Jasper's wedding. And we sure as hell can't seem to be around each other long enough to act civil toward one another so—"

"So we go," I quickly interceded without thinking. "We go and act like nothing's wrong. We pretend we're still the happy couple that everyone thinks we are and get this thing over with. Then, when it's all over and we return to New York, we'll call our families and break the news to them then."

She stared at me, mouth wide open for a few seconds before finally formulating a response. "That's crazy, Edward. There is no way you and I can just spend four weeks together and pretend nothing is wrong. We won't get along and it'll ruin the wedding."

"It's going to be difficult…considering _why _we aren't getting along," I said, looking at her pointedly.

"You mean because you can't seem to keep it in your pants?" she replied swiftly.

"No, because you don't seem to give a shit about anything but jumping to conclusions and fucking the first piece of shit that shows you any sense of comfort," I spat back, instantly regretting the words as soon as they left my mouth.

"For your information," she ground out angrily. "I did not fuck _anyone._ Which is probably more than I can say for you." She put her hand up to stop me as I opened my mouth to argue. "And you're right. We'll just go along with this and pretend to be happy," she continued. "For Alice's sake. She and Jasper are all that matter right now and I'm willing to put my feelings aside so that my best friend can be happy and have the wedding that she deserves."

I just sat there glaring at her, my jaw clenching as the anger inside of me threatened to boil over. She needed to leave now before I fully exploded at her in the middle of the café.

She finally sighed and glanced once at me before taking some bills out of her wallet and placing them on the table. "I will see you in a week, Edward," she said gravely as she stood up from her seat. "Enjoy your lunch. Maybe you can ask the waitress to join you."

She didn't even give me a chance to reply with my own smart ass comment before turning on her heel and storming out of the restaurant. I just sat there, watching her retreating form, dumfounded, as the waitress returned with our food.

"Did the woman you were here with just leave?" she asked shyly as she set the food down on the table.

I looked at the waitress and swallowed the lump in my throat before shaking my head and looking down at the table. "That wasn't a woman. That was a fucking man-eater."

_**Bella POV**_

It took everything in me to save the waterworks for when I arrived back at my apartment. I was so sick and tired of crying over this. Over him, but I couldn't help it.

I made it up the stairs and to my apartment, closing the door behind me, before sinking down to the ground and putting my head on my knees. I had just walked out on the man that I loved. On the man that made me whole because I couldn't handle the pain of sitting there, knowing what he had done to me.

It didn't matter what he wanted to explain. Bottom line was that I had warned him about Tanya and he still never listened to me. Even if she had come onto him first, he had to have noticed her infatuation with him progress over time. Why hadn't he done anything about it?

I wanted so badly to forgive him—to forgive myself for what I had done when I had come home that night—but I couldn't. Because every time I looked at him, I saw him with her. Kissing, touching, being intimate and it killed me. And every time I looked in the mirror, I was disgusted with myself. Edward was right. I had come home and foolishly thrown myself at the first person who gave me any sympathy in my vulnerable state.

Finally, after a few long minutes of crying, I picked myself off the floor and walked to the freezer. It may have been cliché, but I got a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream and a bottle of tequila, and spent the rest of the afternoon drinking and eating my pain away.

In one week—one _tiny_ week—I would be on a plane, headed to Seattle, Washington for my best friend's wedding. The man that I loved and currently hated with all of my being was going to be there with me the entire time.

But it was at that moment that I realized I didn't hate him. It was just easier to think that I did instead of facing the pain. So I thrived on it. I kept telling myself I hated him because I _knew_ I still loved him, even after everything that had happened. He would always be my first and only love and there was nothing I could do to change that.

I would try to hate him though. _I could do that, right?_

I wanted to.

I _needed_ to.

I still loved Edward. And over the course of the next four weeks that we would spend together, I hoped—I _prayed_—that I would somehow learn to love hating him.

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**Author's Note****: Alright, so I know some people are going to think Bella is being a complete bitch at Edward and jumping to too many conclusions, but please keep in mind that Edward is the first and only person she has ever loved (and truly been with in my story) so she doesn't know how to handle this. Also, she warned him about Tanya and he always brushed it off as nothing so of course she is suspicious as to why Edward never did anything about Tanya's flirtations over the course of the time she worked for him. We all know it is because Edward is a gentleman ;) but Bella is only thinking emotionally right now. **

**Okay so long author's note I know. I hope this chapter did not disappoint. I will try and update at least once a week and the chapters will be most likely be longer. Like I said I have the next two chapters ready to go but I want to make sure I have a couple more written before submitting. Please review and let me know what you thought of Chapter 2! Thank you!**


	3. Awkward Arrangements Tainted Homecomings

******_Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer_**

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am once again blown away by your guys' reviews. They are absolutely amazing and totally make my day. As everyone has already become aware, Edward did nothing wrong and yet Bella is not letting him explain this. If they just talked it out, would the problem be fixed faster? Yea, most likely. But two things to remember; Bella obviously has some major insecurity issues that are going to be completely unraveled in the next chapter and Edward is just a man who is torn between the undying love he feels toward Bella and the anger he feels for not being able to tell her what really happened that night (and the fact that he came home to her totally groping Jacob on the couch). They are both two very stubborn people and yes this is all one, big misunderstanding. So I decided to make their journey—wherever it will end up—one that is bumpy, funny, and very entertaining so I hope you all accept that and enjoy the ride along with me.**

**Most of you can already tell that this story is somewhat controversial. A lot of people are concerned by the fact that Edward is not making a bigger deal about Bella's infidelity. Some people have mentioned that if it were reversed, Bella would totally throw a fit and you are right, but remember that Edward and Bella are two different people (not just gender wise but emotionally as well). Edward isn't thinking emotionally right now (like Bella has been so far), but more logically and he first needs Bella to understand that he did nothing wrong in order for her to see that she made a huge mistake, one she should be reprimanded for and trust me, the next chapter is going to vindicate all those who are angry at Edward for not getting his say and it isn't going to be easy. But it has to get worse before we can start having some fun! :p Remember also that this fan fic is anything but conventional and I hope you guys stick with the story because I have a good feeling about this one. This chapter is a lot lighter, but the next one is going to be _very_ angsty. After that things will pick up, but definitely expect angst and comedy mixed in through out. It's a complete contradiction, I know, but there will definitely be more comedy than angst so don't worry ;) and I hope you all take it for what it is.**

**So enough with the author's note, right? _They will not usually be this long, I promise!_ Enjoy this chapter! :)**

* * *

_**Bella POV**_

Today was the day. Today was the day I had been dreading—dreaming about—more like having nightmares about, over the last week.

Today I would be going to Seattle with Edward. We would be spending the next four weeks keeping up the façade that we were still happily married. Today was the beginning of what would probably be the worst and longest month of my twenty five years of existence.

After grabbing both of my suitcases, I made perfectly sure the alarm system was turned on in my apartment. I locked all of the doors and windows, grabbed my purse, and headed out after locking the door behind me.

_Goodbye sanity, _I thought to myself as I boarded the elevator and began my descent to the first floor. The apartment I was living in had a nice little lobby down in the front with a table that always had a beautiful arrangement of flowers in the center of the room as well as a few nice chairs for visitors to sit on while they were waiting for someone. My breath caught in my throat when I saw that one of the chairs was occupied by Edward.

He was sitting there waiting for me wearing a pair of jeans and a simple grey shirt. His hair—his beautiful bronze hair—was in its usual disarray and just begging for someone to run their fingers through it. My fingers actually twitched to reach out and touch it. I was so caught up in my thoughts, that I actually let go of one of my suitcase handles in an attempt to reach out for his hair—even though he was halfway across the room—and it fell to the floor with a loud bang.

Edward quickly turned his head in my direction when he heard the noise and instantly stood up to come and help me. I snapped out of it and realized my hand was still somewhat suspended in the air, still reaching for him, so I quickly put it back by my side and glanced at him as he picked up my suitcase.

"Th-Thank you," I stuttered, going to grab the handle again. Instead he took my other suitcase as well and nodded for me to go in front of him.

He followed me out to the cab he had gotten for us, rolling both suitcases behind him, and helped the driver place them in the trunk. We had decided to share a cab to the airport so we wouldn't have to leave our cars in the parking lot while we were gone. Still, seeing Edward sitting down in the lobby waiting for me was a sight I never thought I would see. Not after our separation.

It had been so long since he had come to pick me up to go anywhere. It was like the old times, when we were dating in high school and he used to pick me up from Charlie's house and we would go see a movie or go out to dinner. All of our dates back then ended

the same way; we would make out in his car for thirty minutes down the street from my house before he drove me up and kissed me some more and I got out. I found myself smiling and blushing at the memory, not catching myself until Edward's voice snapped me back into the present.

"We're here, Bella," he said softly. I blinked a couple times and turned to see he was standing outside of the cab holding the door open for me while the driver was getting our luggage. I still felt like I was in a daze as I looked back at Edward and saw him smirk. "What were you thinking about?" he asked teasingly.

I put on my best glare for him and sighed as I exited the vehicle. "Nothing important."

His face fell a little at my statement, but he quickly recovered and got our things onto a luggage cart. It felt like we were waiting in line after line for hours, but soon enough we were on our plane and taking off for Seattle, Washington.

Of course Alice had gotten us first class—thank God for that—and I was extremely relieved because the seats were much bigger and I wouldn't have to sit in such close proximities with Edward. I don't know what it was, but being near him again after all this time awoke those feelings that I had greatly missed these past few months apart. I hadn't even known I'd missed them until the day at the café. It was our first time meeting face to face in three months and it had caused an entire surge of emotions to come crawling back to me. Emotions I was all too familiar with and trying desperately to forget.

I was still in love with Edward Cullen.

And I was trying with all of my might to hate him.

"Do you want a sleeping pill, Bella?"

Edward snapped me out of yet another daze today. I looked over at him and saw that he was holding a small white pill in his hand and looking at me indifferently.

"Um, yea, I guess so," I answered lamely, taking it from him.

_Big. Mistake._

The second my hand touched his, there was an enormous electric shock and I knew he felt it too. I quickly pulled my hand away, taking the pill with me, and just stared at him, not really sure what to say.

"Sorry," he said quickly before sitting back in his seat and popping the other pill into his mouth. He took a sip of the water that the stewardess had brought for him.

I nodded and managed a small smile before putting my own pill in my mouth. All too soon I realized my water cup was empty and a stewardess was nowhere to be found. Edward, having realized my situation, held his water cup out to me since it was only half empty. I looked at it, then up at him cautiously.

"It's just water, Bella," he said in a somewhat irritated tone. "I didn't poison it or anything."

I shook my head. "I know…I just—"

"You have been swapping spit with me for the last eight years and you can't even drink out of the same cup as me?" he asked incredulously.

My mouth gaped open at his bluntness and I was at a complete loss of what to say. I closed my mouth, not wanting the pill to fall out and cause me to make an even bigger idiot of myself.

He was still holding the water cup out to me and without looking at him, I grabbed it out of his hand and gulped the contents down quickly, making sure to swallow the pill in the process. I turned to him and gave him a smug look as he took the now empty cup out of my hand. I was just about to grab my pillow and put it behind my head when he spoke up again.

"That's my girl."

I froze. I turned slowly to face him and saw he had his eyes closed, his seat reclined, and his pillow behind his head. He looked completely at ease, _that fucking smart ass_.

"I am _not _your girl, Edward," I said in a low, vehement voice, causing his eyes to snap wide open and look at me curiously. "Stop pushing me. I know what you're doing. You're just trying to get a rise out of me and I won't have it anymore." I grabbed my pillow and put it behind my head and leaned back, crossing my arms grudgingly and glowering down at the aisle.

"I wasn't trying to get a rise out of you, Bella," I heard him say softly. "I don't know why I even said it. It was an accident. I'm sorry," he said, his tone having a little bit of a bite to it that I'm sure even he noticed.

I sighed and shook my head, reclining my seat back and closing my eyes, praying for the sleeping pill to kick in already. "Goodnight, Edward. See you in Seattle," I said in a careless tone.

I heard him sigh and shift next to me. "Goodnight, Bella," he whispered.

I scrunched my eyebrows tightly together and willed the tears that were threatening to escape to go away. For some reason, the way he whispered goodnight to me, reminded me of just how many good nights we had had together and just how many nights he would whisper those exact words to me.

After we made love.

After we fell asleep on the couch watching t.v.

After he carried me to the bedroom when I had fallen asleep on the car ride home for the hundredth time.

After the first night we were married.

All of those memories came rushing back to me. I could not believe how three simple words could have so much attached to them.

I finally got control over my emotions and I felt my body grow heavier and the noises of the plane's engine drift away as I fell into a deep and peaceful slumber.

XxXxX

"Bella, wake up. Bella. We're about to land."

I groaned and shifted a bit, sniggling against something very warm and very soft.

"Bella." Who in the hell was waking me up? I was enjoying a wonderful and peaceful slumber and sleeping against something that smelled very good and very familiar.

It was a mix of musk…and man… and _HOLY MOTHER OF SHIT_.

I quickly opened my eyes and sure enough, I was resting my head on Edward's shoulder. Not just resting, but my freakin face was pretty much buried into the crook of his neck and one of my arms was slung over his mid section. Much to my horror, when I looked down, I saw my right leg was also hitched over one of his. I quickly looked up at him and pulled away, missing the warmth almost immediately. He was awake.

"How long have I been sleeping like that?" I asked in an accusatory manner.

His face looked so fuckin amused and guilty as hell. "Not too long," he quickly stated. "Just the last five hours."

My eyes just about bugged out of my head. The entire plane ride was only _six hours_, which meant I was sleeping on Edward for the duration of our flight.

"And how long have you been awake?" I asked with the same accusatory tone.

He sighed and shrugged, raking his hand through his hair and looking down into his lap. "I'd say about…two hours?"

"_Two hours_?" I asked fervently, my eyes narrowing. I was pissed. "You let me…sleep like that for the last two hours, _knowingly_, and didn't try to wake me?"

"Why would I try to wake you, Bella?" he asked, as if it were the most preposterous thing in the world. "You were comfortable. I didn't wan to disturb you."

"You can't…we're not…I mean…" I trailed off, at a complete loss of what to say.

Okay, so maybe he was trying to be polite and let me sleep, but _still_. We were separated. He couldn't just do those things anymore.

"It's not as if I was groping you in your sleep or something," he defended sarcastically. "At least not intentionally," he mumbled the last part with a chuckle and my eyes snapped up to his. "I'm kidding, Bella," he said in a serious tone when he noticed my hard glare.

I rolled my eyes and sighed angrily as the seat belt light turned on. My hands were shaking with anger as I struggled to buckle mine.

"Stop squirming, Bella."

I looked at Edward and gave him a hard glare. He just returned it with his own; I hated to admit it, but his was sexier.

"Shut up, Edward. This is your fault you know," I snapped back.

"How in the hell is this my fault, Isabella?" he demanded.

"It just…fucking is. And don't you dare call me Isabella ever again," I seethed angrily. He knew I hated being called by my full name.

"Why not? _Isabella. Marie. Swan_?" he asked, emphasizing each and every syllable just to get under my skin.

I sighed in frustration and slouched back into my seat after finally letting the stewardess help me with my seat belt.

"It's your fault because you are so fucking annoying," I finally retorted, pouting with my arms crossed over my chest. It may have been childlike, but I didn't care.

"How am I annoying? You're the one who was all over me while you were sleeping. I think _I'm _the victim here," he had the nerve and audacity to say.

I turned to him then, using the full force of my glare on him. Right when I opened my mouth to verbally bitch slap him, I saw the stewardess come back and stand next to us from my peripheral vision.

"Excuse me," she said in a too sweet tone of voice. Edward and I finally tore our glares away from one another and turned them on the bitch that interrupted. She seemed taken aback by our angry facial expressions at first, but quickly recovered. "We've had a couple of complaints that you two are being a little noisy. Would you mind keeping it down for the duration of the flight? We are about to land at our destination."

"I'm sorry," I replied in my fake nice voice. "He can't seem to control his running mouth."

"No, _I'm_ sorry," Edward said to her sarcastically. "_She_ doesn't seem to know when enough is enough."

I looked at him then and raised my eyebrows. "You're one to talk!"

"Am I, _Isabella?_"

"Don't call me that!" I actually lunged at him, but the seat belt kept me firmly in my seat and the stewardess had to grab my arms gently to keep me from attacking him.

"Miss, miss please calm down," she said quietly, still restraining me.

I huffed and glanced around me angrily only to see everyone in first class staring at me with wide-eyed and amused expressions. I felt my face grow hot with embarrassment and finally managed to calm down. The stewardess went to get me some water as I sat back in my chair and waited for the plane to finally land. It had begun its descent already, but it would be at least another fifteen minutes until we touched the ground.

I could not wait to see Alice and Jasper at the airport. I wish everyone else could have been there too, but they were all still at work. Either way, I was glad that I would finally be free of this torment, if only for a short while.

I chanced a glance in Edward's direction and saw that he was looking out the window, trying desperately to control his laughter. I opened my mouth in shock that he was finding all of this so funny. I decided I wouldn't add fuel to his fire any longer. I would just ignore him. So I shook my head, graciously took the water bottle handed to me by the stewardess, and spent the rest of the landing in a nice silence, my eyes closed, pretending I was somewhere else completely.

Finally, after twenty agonizing minutes, the plain landed and we were allowed to get up out of our seats and grab our belongings. I stepped out into the aisle and waited until Edward got our two separate carry-ons out of the over head luggage compartment. He handed me my purse and we began making our way off of the plane.

Once we finally got into the terminal, we went through baggage check—Edward and I only had two suitcases each so it didn't take too long. He got us a luggage cart and piled our suitcases onto it as well as our carry-ons as I held the cart steady for him. To any innocent bystander, we would look like a happy couple going on a romantic getaway.

_Oh little did they know. _

We began walking out to the main terminal where Alice and Jasper would be waiting when suddenly I remembered something important. "Oh! Wedding ring!" I gasped as I dug into my purse to retrieve it from the safe little box it was in.

That was part of the deal; we would have to wear our wedding rings even though we were separated. Knowing Esme and Alice, they would notice if we didn't have them on from a mile away. I glanced at Edward and saw that he already had his wedding ring on.

"When did you put it on?" I asked curiously as I eyed the diamond on mine. It was such a beautiful ring. I missed how it looked on my finger. It fit so perfectly.

I looked back up at him just as he sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I've been wearing my ring since we got on the plane, Bella. Didn't you notice me put it on in the taxi on the way to the airport?"

"But…we didn't need to wear them until now. Why would you put it on before we even left New York?" I asked, completely confused at his logic.

"I was just trying to get into the façade okay, Bella?" he said in a frustrated tone, raising his voice a bit and picking up his pace, probably to get away from me.

Was he upset that I hadn't noticed he was wearing the ring or was he upset that we had to do this in the first place? I take it it was both. Well, I wasn't too thrilled either, but at least I wasn't bitching him out. Well…not anymore at least.

I sighed and picked up my pace to catch up with him just as I caught sight of Alice and all her five foot two glory as she bounced up and down, smiling at me, as Jasper gave us a warm, laid back smile beside her.

I was smiling at the both of them and just about to walk a little ahead to give her a hug since they wouldn't allow the people waiting to cross the line over, but Edward suddenly took my hand. I looked up at him confused and opened my mouth to speak, but was quickly interceded by him.

"They know we show affection every time we're together. They'll notice something's off," he said quietly as we finally approached Alice and Jasper.

I was still in a daze. How had I not thought of that before? Oh shit. Would Edward and I actually have to fake affection too? Call me an idiot, but I obviously didn't think this through. I figured we would go, smile, congratulate, leave, and then go about our business how we had been for the past three months. It just now suddenly hit me that to the Cullens, Edward and I were a happy, loving, married couple of three years who—at times—could get very touchy. Crap. What had I gotten myself into?

"Bella!" Alice's excited voice brought me back to the present as she enveloped me in a chokehold of a hug.

"Sweetheart, let her breathe," Jasper said softly to her, chuckling a bit.

Alice giggled and pulled away from me before embracing Edward just as tightly.

"Hey there, Bella," Jasper said, smiling widely at me as he engulfed me in a nice, comfortable hug. Jasper always new how to make me feel mellow.

"Hi, Jasper. I missed you guys." My voice sounded sad, even to me. Jasper pulled away and looked at me, his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion as he tried reading my face.

"Are you okay, Bella?" he asked, concerned.

"She's fine, Jazz!" Alice answered for me, grabbing my hand and letting the boys handle the luggage as she pulled me to the exit of the airport. "She's probably just jet-lagged."

"It was a six-hour flight, Al," Jasper stated matter-of-factly. _Damn you, let the pixie speak._

"Whatever," Alice huffed absentmindedly as she looked both ways and practically dragged me across the street to the parking structure across from the airport.

I was surprised. The weather was actually pretty nice for summer in Seattle. It felt like at least the low seventies.

"It's nice weather this year, Alice. Looks like you picked a great time for a wedding," I said as we made it to Jasper's black BMW. "Do you guys know where you're having it yet?" I asked curiously as the boys put the luggage into the small trunk.

"Oh yes!" Alice squealed excitedly. "The Fairmount Olympic Hotel! It's absolutely beautiful, Bella. I can't wait to take you and Edward to see it. Oh! And it's only twenty minutes away from mom and dad's lake house!"

"Mom and dad got another lake house?" Edward asked, confused, as Jasper struggled to close the trunk of the car.

Alice looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Same one they've had for the last five years, _Eduardo_," she replied mockingly. "Oh!" she gasped again, turning back to me. "And the best part is that we're going to be staying there for the next four weeks! It's closer to the city and the venue and it's right next to the lake and I can't wait for you to go on the boat with me. Plus, we're letting you and Edward have the room facing the lake. There's a balcony that is absolutely beautiful…very romantic," she said suggestively, wiggling her eyebrows.

And with that I blushed.

And Edward coughed profusely.

Alice looked between us confused and opened her mouth to speak, but Jasper beat her to it. _Thank God_.

"All set, Ali," he said as he walked around to the driver's seat. Alice was still eying us a bit suspiciously, but she finally relented and walked to the passenger side and got in.

I sighed and looked anxiously at Edward who looked just as nervous as me. He opened my door for me and we got in as Jasper started the car and pulled out of the airport parking lot.

The drive to the lake house wasn't too bad. Alice did bring up our sex life on a couple of occasions. Thankfully Jasper chimed in both times saying, and I quote, _"Aw, Alice, I don't want to hear how they go at it like a couple of gorillas in heat."_

What. The. Fuck.

Edward kept his arm around my shoulder the entire time and would even say things to me softly every so often. Words of endearment. Trivial things like the weather and a store we passed by. We had both been caught off guard by Alice's instincts that something was up so we were kicking it up a few notches.

_If that was the case then why did it feel so right and natural?_

"We're here!" Alice announced as Jasper turned into a dirt road.

The last twenty minutes of the drive was surrounded by trees and forest and beautiful green scenery. It reminded me of Forks and that thought made me smile.

We followed the dirt road a while longer until it started traveling upward. Jasper finally pulled up in front of one of the most beautiful lake houses I had ever seen. It looked like something straight out of a movie. If the side facing the trees and forest looked this good, I could only imagine what the other side—the side that everyone on the lake saw—would look like.

Jasper pulled into the garage that was fit for at least five cars and he and Edward got to work unloading all of the luggage. Alice took my hand again and Jasper and Edward followed us—each holding two suitcases—up the stairs and to the second floor. I offered to help, but Alice told me to just let the men do their jobs, to which they both scoffed and threatened to throw Alice over their shoulder and take her down to the lake and dump her.

We reached the door at the end of the hall and Alice threw it open, pushing me inside first. It was beautiful to say the least. It wasn't an overly giant room, but it was definitely big enough to accommodate more than two people. There was an enormous king sized bed in the middle—the headboard touching the wall—as well as antique wooden bedside tables on either side. There were two drawers on the other side of the room against the wall opposite the bed and next to the doorway that led into a huge and beautiful bathroom. The bathroom had a bath tub fit for ten people as well as a view of the other gorgeous lake houses that were beside us.

Edward and I followed Alice and Jasper as they led us to the balcony that overlooked the lake and I gasped at the sight before me. I could see the stairs that led from somewhere up by the house, down to the dock for boats. I looked around us and saw the other few lake houses and people already swimming or taking their boats out.

It was about five in the evening and Alice informed us that Emmett and Rosalie would be arriving in the morning because they had work and would need to go home and pack. Esme and Carlisle would arrive late this evening and we would probably be sleeping because, according to Alice, we were most likely super jet-lagged.

"Jazz and I are going to go the supermarket nearby to get groceries to keep us at bay for now," Alice said with a laugh. "You guys just relax, rest…cuddle." She made sure to emphasize the last word with a devilish smile.

"I could go with you, Alice. And the guys could stay here and catch up," I said quickly.

"Don't be silly, Bella. I know you're tired. You're eyes are pretty red," she pointed out.

I sighed, defeated. As much as I hated to admit it, I was pretty tired since I had tossed and turned the previous night, dreading these next four weeks with a passion.

"Alright, we'll be back in a couple of hours," Alice said as she hugged me tightly and kissed my cheek before doing the same with Edward.

"Later, man," Jasper said to Edward before turning to me. "See you, Bells. Sleep tight," he said, hugging me tightly before following Alice out of the room and closing the door behind them.

_And then there were two._

Edward and I just stood awkwardly next to the bed after Alice and Jasper left, our eyes downcast and looking everywhere but at each other.

Finally Edward cleared his throat and I looked up at him. "So, uh, I don't know about you, but I'm pretty tired," he said, only glancing at me a couple times.

I nodded and looked at the bed. "Yea, me too," I offered lamely.

"You can take the bed," we both said at the same time.

"Sorry," he sad quickly. "Um, you take the bed. I'll just lay down on the couch downstairs."

"What about Alice and Jasper? Won't they think it's weird we aren't sleeping together?" I pointed out.

As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them, realizing what I had just said. Edward chuckled without humor and rubbed the back of his neck apprehensively, still looking down.

"Bella, we haven't slept together in over three months. It's not that weird anymore," he said quietly.

"First, that's not what I meant by 'sleeping together,'" I said. He looked up at me, amusement evident in his eyes. "And second, it may not be weird to you and me, but it will be to them," I finished, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Alright," he finally conceded. "I'll just…go on my side and you stay on yours," he said as he climbed onto the bed and laid on his back, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, walking around the bed to go stand next to him.

"What do you mean?" he asked me, seeming utterly confused.

I rolled my eyes and sighed as I walked over to the door, locked it, and walked back. We would have to be in the same room, but we didn't both have to be in the bed. If the door was locked, no one would come in and see that I was asleep on the bed while he was in the bathtub or something. It was common logic. I don't know why I didn't just think of it before.

He was watching me curiously, a hint of mischief in his eyes. "Why, Mrs. Cullen, are you trying to seduce me?" he asked teasingly, sitting up on his elbow.

_Gah! Must he be so effing sexy all the time? _

To my own surprise, I began leaning in toward him. His breathing hitched as my face came within a few mere inches of his. I saw him visibly swallow the lump in his throat and sit up a little more. I licked my lips and looked down at his then back up into his eyes. He was watching me curiously and a bit apprehensively, probably wondering what the hell I was doing.

"It's going to be _Miss. Swan_ again very soon," I said in a low, threatening voice. "And you're sleeping on the fucking floor."

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**Author's Note: How was that? ;) A nice comedic relief seeing as next chapter will be sort of hard to read…but it will all be worth it. Reviews make me very happy =D**


	4. All Fall Down

**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

**Quick Side Note: BaileyMac from "Twilighted. net" brought to my attention the fact that Bella and Edward are off of work for four weeks. I'm sorry I didn't explain this. I just figured we would all assume they got time off. They are both in pretty high standing in their respective jobs and it's not like they've taken any vacation time in the last three months so it wasn't difficult for them to get the time off. As for the rest of the family: they all live in Seattle and most of them own their own businesses so it isn't hard for them to take a few days off at a time. Hope it's okay I didn't go too in detail with this, but thanks again to BaileyMac for reminding me of this little aspect :)**

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! You guys are all awesome and for all of you who are feeling bad for Edward…you will probably appreciate this chapter. Keep in mind, the end of this chapter is a little bit heartbreaking, but it is going to get better. This was just really unavoidable and definitely necessary. It is actually my favorite chapter so far so I hope you all enjoy it!**

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_**Edward POV**_

I could not believe I had actually gotten on the fucking floor. How did that woman make me get on the _fucking floor._

I sighed again and rolled over onto my other side, pulling the small blanket over myself a little more. I was on the ground, at the foot of the bed, cursing every one and any one within a thousand mile radius because I couldn't bring myself to curse _her_.

She was nice and warm and cuddly on the giant king sized bed while I had tossed and turned on the God damn floor for the last two hours. She hadn't even shifted _once. _Finally, with another loud huff—I was trying to wake her up on purpose, I'm not gonna lie—I got up off the floor, tossed the blanket onto one of the chairs, and quietly opened the door to the bedroom, stepping out into the hallway and closing it quietly behind me.

"What'chya doin?"

I jumped at the sudden voice behind me, startled. Turning around, I caught sight of Alice watching me with an amused expression on her face as I clutched my chest and tried to slow down my heavy breathing and erratic heart beat.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Alice!" I hissed. "What are you trying to do, kill me?" I asked, only half joking.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head at me. "Always such a drama queen, Edward. I was just going to check on you and Bella. See if you two were hungry. Mom and dad called. They'll be here in a couple of hours. Is Bella awake?"

"No, she's asleep on the bed," I said a little too harshly as I glared at the floor. I looked up when Alice remained silent and saw that she was watching me curiously, trying to read my expression. "It's really comfortable, we love it," I added quickly to try and salvage what I could of my obvious fuck up.

"Uh huh," she answered, seemingly unconvinced as she crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at me.

"So you mentioned food earlier?" I said, trying to divert her from where this conversation was headed. "I'm actually starving." I managed my signature crooked smile as I brushed past her and headed down the steps. I glanced over my shoulder and saw her in the same position, staring at the bedroom door. I sighed and shook my head as I rounded the corner and walked into the kitchen.

My mother had mentioned she was remodeling this place a few years ago, but I hadn't been here in a while. It was beautiful. The refrigerator was stainless steel, the cabins were a dark maple wood, and the counters were black granite—her favorite.

I focused my gaze on Jasper, who was seated on a stool at the counter, devouring an enormous sandwich and flipping through a magazine. A small chuckle escaped my mouth at the sight of 'Mr. Always Put Together' going totally apeshit on that sandwich like it was going to disappear or something.

His head snapped up in my direction and he somehow managed to swallow the bite in his mouth before offering me a sheepish smile and shrug. "Want one?" he offered.

I laughed and shook my head, but within minutes, I too had made myself a skyscraper of a sandwich and sat one stool away from Jasper as I dug into it.

We sat in compatible silence for a few moments, just eating and looking at the magazine Jasper had, when the girls emerged from upstairs.

"Hey, guys," Alice said cheerfully. I smiled at her and thanked whoever was listening to my pleas for making Alice let whatever was on her mind earlier go.

"Hey, girls," Jasper replied, glancing up at them. "Bella, you sleep well? That bed sure is comfortable isn't it?"

I nearly choked on the bite in my mouth and everyone looked at me with a panicked expression. Everyone—that is—except Bella, who just stood there with a knowing smile on her face and the most fucking amused expression I had ever seen.

Jasper smacked my back a couple times and Alice handed me a bottle of water which I swallowed graciously. After a few more coughs and sips of water, I felt better. I let out a breathy sigh and thanked everyone for their help, looking pointedly at Bella when I did so.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" she asked. She actually sounded sincere and the thought made me just stare at her completely stunned as she approached me, standing in between my parted legs. I knew she was just playing along with our façade, but still. That was fucking good acting on her part. Even _I _bought it.

"I'm fine," I managed, shifting a bit uncomfortably. "I'm fine. No big deal," I repeated—seemingly flustered—before turning around and finishing the rest of my sandwich slowly.

Jasper just laughed—no, he fucking guffawed—and Alice just put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Jazz. Help me put the clean sheets on mom and dad's bed," Alice said in her exasperated tone of voice.

I watched as poor Jasper finished the last huge bite of his sandwich in one swallow before he trudged over to the sink, put his plate in, and then followed Alice upstairs a little less than enthusiastically. Once they were gone, Bella and I both turned to each other and openly glared at one another.

"That went well," I said quietly, taking my plate and rinsing it in the sink.

"Yea," she said as she followed and stood beside me, leaning against the counter by the sink. "And next time you start choking…just remember to swallow," she finished seductively before smirking and giving me a hard pat on the back.

I just stood there, mouth gaping open, watching her retreating form. And still gaping at the empty kitchen after she left.

_Did she really just say that to me?_

This was going to be hell. And she wasn't going to make it any easier.

XxXxX

My parents arrived some time around midnight, but we had all already gone into our own rooms to sleep. I only heard them come in because there was no way in hell I could fall asleep on the fucking hard ass floor.

With a heavy sigh, I got up off the floor and padded my way towards the side of the bed that Bella was not occupying. Slowly, as not to wake her, I lifted the covers and climbed into bed, all the while holding my breath. I gradually lay back on the bed and closed my eyes contentedly. The second my head hit that pillow, I was gone.

I don't know how long I had been out, but suddenly something soft hit me on the head—hard. I squinted my eyes and turned over onto my other side only to have it hit my back.

"What the f—" I groaned as I sat up sleepily and turned to my right side.

_Oh shit._

Bella looked mad. No, actually, she looked fucking livid. Even in the darkness of the room I could make out her fury. She had her pillow clutched in her hand in a major death grip and her eyes were blazing with rage as she glared at me.

"'What the fuck' is right," she spat back. "What the fuck are you doing in my bed?" she demanded angrily.

"_Your_ bed?" I prodded, knowing I shouldn't push her, but being unable to contain my own frustration. "I believe this is myparent's beach house, so technically? This is _my_ bed."

I saw her face fall a little at the truth in my words, but then she jutted out her chin all defiantly and smirked. "Well they're my in-laws so technically they're my parents too," she retorted smugly.

"Not for much longer," I said in a quieter voice, repeating her sentiments from earlier.

She seemed taken aback by my words for a few minutes before she finally composed herself and sighed shaking her head. "Edward, you can't sleep here," she said, her voice five octaves softer than it had been just moments ago.

"Bella," I whined—yea, fucking whined like a five-year-old who wanted cookies before dinner. "I can't sleep on the floor and I'm exhausted. Please. I won't touch you. I won't look at you. Fuck, I'll duct tape my hands to the bedpost if you want."

I could see her calculating all of this in her head, trying to come to a conclusion. Finally, after three long ass minutes—yea I was counting—she sighed, defeated, and placed her pillow back behind her head, laying down on her back and pulling the covers up to her chest.

"Fine," she said grudgingly. "Stay on your side." Her voice sounded hard and hateful and a part of me died away with it.

"Done," I stated with finality.

I lay back down and closed my eyes once again. I felt shifting on the bed and turned to see Bella had rolled over onto her side, facing away from me. A part of me wanted to go to her, wrap my arms around her and hold her close to me all night. I felt so empty sleeping without her—something I would never admit to anyone else.

The other part of me despised her for making me miss her so much, and need her so much. She took every part of me with her when she left and I wanted it back. I wanted her to give it all back.

With a deep breath, I rolled over onto my side and faced her. I kept a good distance between us, but just so I could gain some closure, I extended my arm across the bed so it lay between us. If this was as close as I could get to her, then I would take it.

XxXxX

I woke up the next morning with something very warm pressed against my side. I was lying on my back and my arm was wrapped around whatever this warmth was. I blinked and rubbed my eyes a few times to get rid of the sleepiness before glancing beside me and seeing Bella cuddled up to me. Her faced was pressed into my neck and my arm was wrapped around her with my hand resting on the small of her back, holding her to me securely.

I didn't want to wake her up, but I also didn't want to move from the position we were currently in. It was obvious she was the one who had come closer to me in her sleep because I was still fully on my side of the bed. Judging from the way she had freaked out on the plane when she had fallen asleep on my shoulder, I decided it was best to get out of bed before she woke up.

Slowly, I unwrapped my arm around her and she seemed to groan in her sleep from the movement. I held my breath and easily slid out from underneath her, putting my pillow in my place. She snuggled up close to it and I felt a pang of jealousy that a simple down pillow could offer her the same level of comfort that I had been doing.

I took the moment to just watch Bella. I always loved waking up earlier than her and just watching her sleep beside me. She was so beautiful when she slept; so carefree and peaceful. During the day she always had worry lines around her eyes, but at night she didn't have a care in the world.

I took another deep breath and raked my fingers through my already disheveled hair before silently walking to the large bathroom and closing the door behind me. I washed my face and brushed my teeth with one of the two toothbrushes that Alice had obviously set out for us. I contemplated taking a shower, but decided it would probably wake Bella and she seemed to need her rest right now.

I mutely walked out of the bathroom and out of the room, closing the door quietly behind me, as I made my way down the stairs. I could hear soft voices coming from the kitchen and recognized my mother's immediately as I stepped in the entryway.

My mother, Esme, was sitting at the kitchen bar with Alice while my sister-in-law, Rosalie, was standing across from them, sipping coffee from her mug. I was surprised I hadn't heard Emmett's booming voice when they arrived last night, but then I realized it was because I had been sleeping on the floor and by the time I finally got on the bed, I was absolutely exhausted.

"Well, well, well," Alice's voice broke me out of my musings. I looked at her and glared. "Look who finally pulled himself away from the cave. It's just after noon," she stated matter-of-factly before taking a satisfied sip of her tea.

My eyes widened and I glanced at the clock on the microwave. Sure enough it read 12:13 p.m. "Holy shit," I groaned, completely shocked that we had slept for most of the morning.

"Edward!" Rosalie chastised from where she was standing near the counter. "Is that how you say 'hello' to your mother and favorite sister-in-law?"

I turned to her and smirked. "Rose, you're my _only_ sister-in-law."

"Screw you, Edward!" she yelled, putting her hands on her hips.

My smirk only widened. "You'd like that wouldn't you. Too bad Emmett got to you first, huh?" I said teasingly, knowing very well that I was getting under her skin. I winked at her and she huffed and rolled her eyes at me before going to the sink to wash some of the dishes.

I sighed and went up behind her and wrapped my arms around her shoulders in a tight hug, planting a big, wet, sloppy kiss on the side of her face. "I missed you, Rose."

"Ew!" she shrieked, wiping the side of her head where I had kissed her, before pushing me away. I could see the corners of her mouth lifting up into a small smile and I took that as my 'hello.' I finally turned around and walked over to where my mother was sitting on the bar stool, watching our exchange with amusement.

"Hey, mom," I said, smiling at her as I hugged her tightly and kissed her forehead.

"Oh, Edward," she sighed contentedly, hugging me back fiercely. I pulled away and saw my mother's eyes were glassy with unshed tears. "You and Bella need to come see us more often. You live too far away," she said sadly, trying very hard to put on a brave face.

I gave her a small smile in return and nodded. "I'm sorry. Bella and I…we've been busy." _Getting divorced, _I added silently.

She nodded in understanding before placing one hand on my cheek and stroking it with the back of her thumb. "We just miss the two of you is all."

I grabbed her hand that was on my face and squeezed gently before leaning in and kissing her cheek. "I love you, mom."

"I love you too, Edward," she replied, smiling again. This time it reached her eyes.

"Speaking of Bella," Rosalie interrupted obnoxiously. She had finished with the dishes and was standing beside Alice on the other side of the kitchen bar. Both of them had re-filled their cups once again. "Where is the little she-devil?"

I smirked, but for different reasons. If only Rosalie knew how true her words really were.

"The _she-devil_ has a name."

We all turned our attention to where Bella was standing in the entryway of the kitchen, her hands on her hips as she looked at Rosalie with a mock glare. She still had on her

pajamas like all of us, but I cold tell she had brushed her hair before she came downstairs—that thing was always a chicken's nest when she woke up in the mornings.

"Bella!" Rosalie squealed in excitement before running the ten steps over to where Bella was. The two hugged and smiled for a few seconds before Rosalie pulled away and looked at Bella from head to toe, as if she was looking for any signs of change since we had seen them last Christmas. "You're still beautiful, Bella," she said appraisingly as she pulled her in for another hug. When they pulled away, Rosalie turned and gave me a mock glare. "I'm surprised you still haven't screwed this up yet, Edward," she said jokingly.

I swallowed the hard lump I felt forming in my throat as the truth in her words stabbed me with a thousand knives. I chanced a glance at Bella and saw she was staring at me intensely, obviously not sure how to react to Rose's comment.

Thankfully my mother chose that moment to speak up, sensing that the room had gone eerily quiet. "Oh, Bella," she gasped, getting up from her stool and walking around the counter to where Bella was still standing next to Rosalie. "I missed you so much." She pulled Bella in for a tight hug.

"So!" Alice said, clapping her hands together. "I was thinking that we should all go down to the lake today and ride dad's new boat. It's so beautiful, Edward. You'll love it." I looked up at Alice and nodded curtly since she was only looking at me.

"Great," Alice chirped excitedly. "Dad, Jasper, and Emmett are getting everything set up on the dock right now. Do you guys wanna just meet down there once everyone's dressed?" she asked, looking at each person in the room.

I didn't really offer any input, but everyone else nodded silently and we all began filing out of the kitchen and heading upstairs to our respective rooms. My mom and dad had opted to take the room downstairs so all the 'kids' could have the top floor to themselves.

I sighed as Rosalie and Alice went into their separate rooms and I followed Bella into ours. I closed the door behind us as she stomped to the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind her. After a few moments, I heard the water running and realized she was taking a shower. Realizing I wouldn't have time to take one myself, I started stripping off my pajamas. I took my swim trunks out of my suitcase and pulled them on before putting on a simple white t-shirt. I shuffled around my two suitcases, searching for the lone pair of flip flops I had brought for occasions such as this until I finally found them buried at the bottom of one of my bags.

After I was fully dressed, I decided to help Bella get ready quicker so I went into her suitcase and pulled out the first bikini I could get my hands on. It was easy to find since everything in Bella's suitcase was ordered a certain way. I put the bikini set on the bed and also pulled out a skirt and simple top, figuring since I had come this far, might as well complete the ensemble. She would probably bitch a fit, but I would rather Bella yell at me instead of Alice chewing us out for being late.

With a final deep breath, I opened the bedroom door and stepped out into the hallway to give her some privacy. Alice, Rose, and my mother had obviously gone down to the lake already because I couldn't hear them talking anymore. I sighed and took a seat on the first step, scrubbing my hands over my face before running them through my hair in frustration and shaking my head.

How were we going to pull this off? It was one thing to be in the same room with each other and fool everyone into thinking we were fine, but I knew they would get suspicious if we never went near each other. Some PDA was definitely needed, as much as it might pain us both.

A few more minutes went by before the door to the bedroom finally opened. I looked up and saw Bella standing in the doorway, wearing the outfit I had laid out for her. I smirked before getting up and watching as she walked over to me hesitantly.

"Um…did…did you go into my suitcase?" she asked in a small voice, looking down at her feet. She looked so fucking nervous and timid. I wanted to hug her. I wanted to kiss her.

I was getting hard.

_Fuck._

Sweet, shy Bella always gave me a hard-on. Every. Fucking. Time.

"Uh, y-yeah," I answered honestly, rubbing the back of my neck and anticipating her to blow up at me for going through her shit.

"Thanks," she said quietly, finally looking up to meet my gaze.

I'm pretty sure my mouth was hanging open like a fish. Her response shocked me to no end. I was expecting to be fully chewed out for doing that for her, but here she was, looking at me with shy and uncertain eyes, and actually _thanking_ me. I didn't know what to say.

"You're welcome," I answered. _Fucking smooth._

A few awkward moments passed before I suddenly realized we had probably been taking far too long and everyone would most likely be wondering where we were.

"Uh, after you," I said as I stepped aside and allowed Bella to walk down the stairs first. I did it to be a gentleman. And to check out her ass in that mini jean skirt she had on. I smirked at my choice of clothing for her. _Fucking genius._

We walked in complete silence down the side of the house to where the wooden steps were that would lead us down to the lake. Bella slipped a few times so I held onto her arm the rest of the way down to keep her from hurting herself.

I could see my family already on the boat as my father and Emmett worked to get the sail up. We finally walked onto the small dock and over to the boat. I went in first and then helped Bella climb in; the last thing we needed was for her to fall into the water and start drowning. She wasn't a very good swimmer and the actual shock of falling in would probably slow down her reflexes.

"Edward!" my older brother Emmett bellowed loudly, making his way over to Bella and I. "Good to see you again, sis," he said, smiling a dimpled smile at Bella and wrapping her in a tight bear hug; I wasn't sure if she could breathe.

"Hey, Emmett," she choked out before finally being able to pull away and catch her breath.

He laughed and looked at me. "Hey, bro," he said. We did one of those manly high five hug type of things before he looked at us both like we were all in on some inside joke. "So what took you guys so long? Getting a little exercise up in that master bedroom of yours?" he laughed, making a few crude jesters before Rosalie smacked his arm and glared at him.

"Emmett, stop harassing them," my father, Carlisle chastised as he came over and greeted Bella and I each with a warm smile. "Hey, you too," he said, first enveloping Bella in a warm hug and then turning to give me one as well.

"Hey, dad," I greeted happily. Of everyone in my family, I probably missed my parents the most. They were the ones who were always there for me through everything and I knew they always would be; which was more then I could say for some people.

He pulled away from me and smiled again at Bella before clapping his hands and walking over to the steering wheel of the boat. "Alright, everyone all set?" he asked enthusiastically.

Everyone nodded excitedly as Emmett started the motor. After a few minutes of prepping, we finally left the dock and started on a nice, even pace down the lake.

I took an ice cold beer that Jasper handed me before sitting on the cushions that were encircled on the front of the boat. Jasper sat down beside me and took a nice, long drink of his own.

"So how's it feel being somebody's fiancé?" I asked, taking a swig of my own delicious alcoholic beverage.

He laughed and sighed, looking to where Bella and Alice were talking animatedly across from us. "It feels like I'm basically on top of the world, as cheesy as that sounds," he replied sincerely. "What about you, though? How are things in married land? You guys poppin out babies anytime soon?"

I raised my eyebrows at his choice of words and then laughed, almost spitting out my beer in the process. "Did you seriously just fucking say that?" I asked.

He smirked and shrugged, taking another long drink. "What can I say? I'm ready to be an uncle," he said, looking at me pointedly.

I sighed and looked over at Bella. She looked so comfortable sitting there talking and laughing with my sister. That used to be us. That should _still_ be us.

"I don't know. Things are a little…complicated right now. I don't think now's the best time to have kids," I answered carefully. It wasn't a lie. It was just a carefully worded truth.

"Well, get on that soon. You guys have been married for three years. What are you waiting for, an invitation?" he asked sarcastically, completely oblivious to how uncomfortable this conversation was making me.

I forced a small chuckle and caught Bella's eyes from across the boat. Alice was talking to her excitedly about the wedding, but Bella just continued staring at me, obviously having heard the direction of mine and Jasper's conversation.

We sailed for a little while longer until the sun finally went down and my mother and father announced we would be having a small bon fire by the lake. Everyone exited the boat after it docked and the guys went to get the food to grill on the barbecue while the girls went about setting up a fold up table next to where the fire would be. They placed chairs all around the small fire pit where we would sit and have drinks after dinner.

Upon returning, I couldn't help but notice that we were short two chairs. I glanced at Bella and noticed her biting her lip apprehensively, eyeing the chairs as if it would make two more appear.

"Alice, we need more chairs," I said as I helped her with getting the paper plates and utensils out of the bag and setting them on the table.

"I know, but these are the only ones we have," she answered apologetically. "I'll just sit on Jazz's lap and Bella can sit on yours."

"I don't think that's fair," I replied, trying not to sound as put out as I truly was.

She just laughed and shook her head as she got the napkins out. "Come on, Edward. If mom sits on dad's lap then that would just be awkward for all of us. And you know Rosalie's not going to want to be in the cross fire of Emmett and hamburgers so…you're going to have to take one for the team," she said as she patted my back and walked over to help my dad and Emmett with the grill.

I sighed and closed my eyes, willing my frustration at the situation to just go the fuck away. Why was this so difficult? After three months of holding in all of my anger and anxiety, I was starting to get fed up. I could feel myself reaching the breaking point and I wasn't sure how much longer I could go putting up this fake façade.

The truth was I had been a complete mess for these last three months after Bella walked out on me. And the thing that pissed me off the most was that I hadn't done anything wrong. She had been the one kissing somebody else; _I wasn't_. She was the one who cheated on me; _I hadn't_. Yet she was the one who was pissed off and I was the one begging for forgiveness.

Fuck that. I was sick of being everyone's personal punching bag. I didn't deserve it.

"Edward!"

I was brought out of my morbid thoughts by Emmett's loud, obnoxious voice. I looked over at him and saw that everyone was seated at the table, ready to dig into the hamburgers and hot dogs that my father and Emmett had made. Apparently I had been day dreaming longer than I thought.

I forced a small smile before going to sit in the empty seat next to Bella with Emmett on my right on the bench. My mother handed me a paper plate with a hamburger on it which I handed to Bella before getting my own.

Halfway through the meal, when I was sure everyone else was engrossed in their own conversations, I leaned down so that my mouth was right beside Bella's ear. I heard her take a small intake of breath and shiver slightly.

"You need to sit on my lap when we all sit around the bon fire," I whispered before pulling back slightly to look at her.

Her eyes widened and she looked back up at me. "What? Why?" she asked incredulously, as if it was my own plan.

"Because there aren't enough seats and Alice is making us," I said, exasperated as I turned back to my food and continued shoving it into my mouth, not really caring what it was or how it tasted.

After dinner, we cleaned off the table and threw all the trash away. I opted to clean the barbecue just so I could prolong the inevitable for just a few more minutes. Finally, however, I couldn't stall any longer and finally walked over to where my family was seated around the large bon fire in the middle. There were a few other groups of people scattered about the lake, having a get together similar to ours.

I groaned internally when I saw Alice sitting on Jasper's lap and Bella sitting in the seat beside them. I don't know why I thought there would somehow be a spare seat left, but I still hoped. I sighed and walked over to where Bella sat before leaning down and kissing the top of her head and gently asking her if she could get up so she could sit on my lap. I was surprised that I pulled it off so smoothly and no one was the wiser.

Bella hesitated before sighing softly and standing up, only to sit back down on my lap once I was situated. I grudgingly put my hands on her hips and tried my best to seem comfortable even though that was the complete opposite of how I felt.

I finally tuned into the conversation going on around us. Alice—who owned a clothing store here in Seattle—was telling a story about one of her new employees. I listened intently just so she couldn't accuse me of never paying attention to her later.

"So this woman I just hired came into work the other day in hysterics. Apparently she just found out that her husband of five years has been screwing his secretary. I mean, she has two children with this man and he is just off doing some trashy skank!" she shrieked in shock. "Can you believe that? How could a married man do something like that to his _wife_?"

I didn't think anything of the story until I felt Bella stiffen on top of me and then start shaking slightly. I looked up at her concerned and against my better judgment, started rubbing her back soothingly.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly.

Suddenly she bolted off of me, making a hasty excuse that she wasn't feeling good, before she made a beeline for the steps that led back up to the lake house. She was out of sight in a matter of minutes.

I watched her go—mouth gaping open in confusion after she had gone—and tried to figure out what the hell had set her off. I had kept my hands to myself the entire time so she couldn't have thought I was trying to feel her up or anything.

Then it hit me.

Alice's story.

_Son of a fucking bitch_. Back to that. Always fucking back to that.

"Is Bella okay?" Alice asked me. I looked at her and saw genuine concern and worry etched into her features.

"She's fine, Alice," I said a little too harshly as I stood up.

"You're going to go check on her, Edward?" my mother asked, equally concerned.

"Yea. I'm going to go check on her," I answered stiffly before turning and walking with no real purpose up the stairs and toward the lake house.

I didn't rush, seeing as I knew I was going to probably get a verbal beating from her the second she laid eyes on me. As I reached the sliding glass doors at the back of the house, I noticed all the lights were off and thought maybe she hadn't come inside after all. But then I looked inside and saw her walking slowly into the living room, her back to me.

With a heavy sigh—and silent prayer—I slowly opened the door and walked in, closing it behind me with no noise whatsoever. I walked through the dark kitchen into the dark living room and stopped in the entryway when I saw her sitting on the couch staring blankly ahead of her. I went to switch the light on, but her voice stopped me.

"Don't."

I turned and looked at her confused before going to stand in front of her. "Bella, what's wrong?"

She laughed darkly and looked up at me. My eyes were finally adjusting to the darkness and I could see her eyes were livid. "I don't know. That story just…fucking got to me." She paused and looked down at her lap. "I wonder why," she mumbled sarcastically.

"Okay enough!" I yelled, kicking the coffee table—fucking hard I might add—causing her to jump a little in her seat and look at me shocked. "What the fuck am I supposed to say to you, Bella? What the fuck do you want me to do? You keep bringing up the fucking past yet you don't let me explain _anything_ to you! Tell me, what I am supposed to do! What do you want me to _do_?!"

She stood up and met my glare, not backing down when I towered over her. "I want you to tell me, _why her_?" she spat back. "What is so fucking great about her that you would break me like this?!"

"Let me say this—for the last _fucking_ time—what you saw in there was a complete misunderstanding! Tanya came in and _threw_ herself at me! I was relieved when you walked in, _thinking_ you were going to help me! Imagine my surprise when my wife takes off running in the opposite direction and immediately goes home and jumps the first man she sees!" I bit back angrily. "Don't you get it, Bella? Don't you fucking _see_? I didn't cheat on you! _You_ cheated on _me_! What the fuck made you think that was okay?!"

"Because it fucking hurt seeing you with her!" she yelled back, pushing hard enough on my chest that I stumbled back a couple of steps. "Because I always knew that would happen! I was just waiting!" Her voice trembled on the last part as she ran a hand through her hair nervously and went over to sit on the couch once again.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I asked incredulously.

She chuckled without humor and looked up at me, defeated. "It's supposed to mean that I knew I was no good for you since the day I met you. You could do a hell of a lot better than me, Edward. I don't know how I got to keep you for as long as I did." She practically whispered the last part and I was just becoming angrier by the minute as she unraveled all of her insecurities about our relationship—insecurities I had no idea she even had. "When you did nothing about Tanya's flirtations, I tried to just push the stupid thoughts out of my mind, but they were always there. They have been there for the last eight years. I guess they were just hiding somewhere in my subconscious. But seeing you with her, it all just came together. You finally found someone equally as beautiful as you; someone who was worth as much as you. So why not take her?"

I just stared at her, open mouthed, not really sure what to say to that. What the fuck do you say to your wife—soon to be ex—who just admitted that she had been fucking insecure about your relationship since the day you met and thought that you were just waiting on the right whore so you could leave her? What the fuck do you say to that?

"I don't know how I got to keep you for as long as I did," she repeated quietly.

That did it. I finally found my voice.

"I cannot believe that after everything I've told you over the last eight years; after everything we've been through together, that you would be this fucking insecure, Bella," I spat disgustedly. "That you would actually think that low of me…and of our relationship…to think I would just throw it away on the first piece of fucking trash I found."

"It's not like that," she said in a small, defeated tone. "I'm no good for you. I'm plain…and I'm not beautiful and—"

"Stop that! Just fucking _stop_ that," I quickly interceded. "Stop victimizing yourself. You said what you said and it's over and done. You had no faith in this relationship and now you're just throwing a fucking pity party for yourself so you can feel better about what you did to me."

She looked up at me angrily and stood up once again, coming to stand directly in front of me. "What I did to _you_?" she asked disbelievingly.

"You kissed Jacob because you thought I kissed Tanya. Two wrongs don't make some sick, twisted right, Bella. What the fuck were you thinking?" I knew my tone of voice was harsh and I shouldn't have been cursing as much as I was because my mother would have been disappointed, but I was so fucking mad and had held this all in for three months that I just couldn't do it anymore.

"He—" she started before choking back on the tears threatening to escape. I kept my hard mask in place, not wanting to show her any sympathy. "I thought he was as good as it could get for me. I thought he was all I was worth. People like _you_ deserve people like… Tanya Denali…and Rosalie Hale; beautiful…interesting people."

I stared at her for a few minutes before stepping in closer so that our noses were almost touching. "And what do people like you deserve, Bella?" I asked in a low, menacing voice.

She swallowed the visible lump in her throat before straightening up and looking me square in the eye, replying in a breathy voice, "People like me deserve to just…settle."

I nodded minutely and took a few steps back from her, shrugging. "Alright. Good. I'm glad we got this all cleared and out of the way. Once the divorce is final…you can be free to settle all you want and I can be free to…well…I don't know, Bella, you tell me since you seem to know everything about everyone."

"Don't, Edward," she said in a hard, shaky voice.

I shook my head. "It's fine, I won't. Ever again. Thank you for tonight though. It was certainly educational," I stated in a sarcastic tone as I started walking towards the stairs to go up to the bedroom. "I learned a lot about us…about you…hell, even about myself," I said with a dark laugh, looking at her over my shoulder. I hardly recognized who I was at that moment. The person talking did not sound like me. He sounded emotionless and albeit frightening.

Bella just stood helplessly in the middle of the living room, watching as I slowly ascended the stairs, calculating each and every step, before reaching halfway and stopping, turning around to look her straight in the eye.

In a very serious voice void of all sarcasm and humor, I managed to say, "I promise that the wedding will be the last time you'll see me. You can go on with your life without anymore interference from me. It will be as if I never existed." And with that I walked the remaining steps up to our room and shut the door softly behind me.

I went straight for the bathroom and just fucking heaved all of my dinner into the toilet. The conversation and the things that were said had taken a toll on me. Bella was fucking insecure as hell about our relationship. How could she think—after everything that we had been through—that I would want anyone but her? That I had been waiting until the opportune moment to leave? I never wanted to leave. Ever.

I suddenly remembered when we had first started dating and she had said things similar to the things she had just told me. That she was no good for me and that she didn't deserve me. She would say that I could do better than her and I didn't understand why she had been so insecure. I thought she had gotten over that, because I reminded her constantly that the two of us just…fucking fit. She was beautiful and perfect and everything I ever wanted.

But obviously she didn't think we fit anymore. I didn't understand what she meant by being surprised that she got to keep me for as long as she did. As if I was a fucking possession waiting to be passed on to the next owner.

I was fucking done with the redemption bullshit. I didn't give a shit if she believed me about Tanya anymore and I didn't give a shit who the hell she was making out with on the couch at our house.

But the fire inside me—the one that would not die out—kept telling me that I did care. Because I still loved her. And I didn't want to because it hurt so fucking badly.

I still loved Bella Swan. And over the course of the next four weeks, I would have to somehow learn to love hating her…because then maybe it would hurt a little bit less.

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**Author's Note: I'm sorry if you guys hate me for this! Don't worry. This story will not be all dark and angsty. This story is meant to be fun and funny, but there are moments like these that cannot be avoided. Thank you for reading, and please review!**


	5. Oh, Baby

_**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**_

**Author's Note: Once again your guys' reviews blow me away. I just want to say the diversity in responses has completely taken me by surprise. Last chapter's reviews showed me that there is a good amount of you either on Team Edward or Team Bella and only a select few who see both sides. I myself feel that both sides are to blame for this whole mix up, but I do love hearing everyone's reasons for their choices. I really enjoy reading everyone's opinions and feedback. Also, remember this is a process and they can't just kiss and make up easily—it just isn't realistic—so yes, we are all going to have to be a little bit patient with this, but trust me it will be fun and definitely worthwhile :) For all you Bella haters (haha yea I know who you are) maybe the beginning of this chapter will shed a light on the reasons for her insecurities. This chapter is very amusing, a little treat since last chapter was so angsty. Hope you all enjoy!**

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_**Bella POV**_

I woke up to the sun shining brightly on my face. I shifted and groaned a little as I pulled the small blanket over myself and cuddled deeper into the large cushioned beach chair on the balcony.

I had decided that after everything that was said and done last night, it would be better to separate myself from Edward, so I had slept on the balcony. Surprisingly enough, the chairs were very big and comfortable. But I couldn't fully enjoy them when I had so many other things on my mind.

Insecure.

That was the word Edward has used when he described why I did what I did and reacted the way I had to seeing him with Tanya.

And it was true.

I always knew since the first day I met Edward that he was too good for me. As the years progressed and he grew into his own, it became even clearer that he could never feel for me what I felt for him because he was beautiful and smart and everything anyone could ever want. And in my eyes I was not. But somehow he did. He wanted me.

I struggled with these insecure thoughts all through high school and college while we were together. Every time girls would give him attention, I would feel this pang of unworthiness that he should be with them and how in the hell was he with _me_? I remember telling him this on several occasions and he would always convince me I was perfect; that I was the only one for him. That we belonged together. I tried believing him, but I just couldn't. I knew the day would come when he would realize I was nothing special.

I thought that day had arrived on our anniversary. The fact that Edward always brushed off Tanya's flirtations made me wonder why he was being so coy about it and when I finally saw them together, I couldn't help it. I just completely unraveled and all those insecure thoughts I had convinced myself had gone away, came flooding back to me.

I wasn't really sure where my insecurities stemmed from. I knew I was pretty plain, but I wasn't ugly and I was smart and kind. I think it had partly to do with the fact that I hadn't really had a mother growing up. Renee had handed me off to Charlie at a really young age so she was never around to tell me that I was beautiful or how proud she was of me; things normal mothers would say to their daughters. Charlie was there, but he wasn't a man of many words so I received very little praise growing up. It wasn't until I met the Cullens that I had a sense of belonging.

However, I had always felt somewhat inferior and intimidated by Edward, which was why I was so shocked that he had even been interested in me, but I pushed those initial thoughts away and was happy that I had him. I was glad that I got to keep him for as long as I did.

It was strange how my insecurities had been dormant all these years and then suddenly sprang up that one night. It was as if they were in the back of my mind, just waiting for an opportunity to come out. Edward told me all the time that I was everything he ever wanted, but—Gah!—if she just hadn't come into the picture and made me question everything that we were, then none of this would have happened.

It was like Tanya represented every girl that ever went after Edward while we were together. She was like my final challenge—make or break me—and it had broken me. I had crumpled under the weight of what I was sure was Edward finally leaving me for someone better. But he hadn't and he didn't. I didn't know what I was supposed to do now. I had royally fucked up and couldn't alter the past no matter how much I wanted to.

'It will be as if I never existed,' he had promised me. And my whole life just burned away with those words.

I could not believe how stupid I had been to jump to conclusions. I hadn't even let him explain. I let my insecurities about myself cloud my better judgment. Tanya wanted Edward, but he didn't want _her_. And it took all of this heartache and pain for me to finally see that…and to finally break down the last wall of insecurity I had left. Tanya was my last test, and although I had failed epically the first time—I passed the re-take with flying colors.

But I knew now that it was too late. Edward didn't want me anymore. I was insecure about myself and because of that I hurt our relationship. I was stupid and selfish and jealous. How could he ever want me back?

He had been so cold last night. It was an Edward I had never seen and one that I did not recognize. The way he spoke so distantly and harshly frightened me. He seemed so detached; as if he was done trying. That thought scared me even more.

I was so upset with myself for what I had done with Jacob in retaliation. And so upset that Edward didn't just fire Tanya when I told him I didn't trust her. But he never listened to me! He always thought I was reading too much into it when girls would shamelessly throw themselves at him. Always being such a fucking gentleman about it; brushing them off as innocent, insignificant people. Maybe if he had just listened to me about this _one girl_…just this _one time_.

Then I could forget about him not switching lab partners senior year when Jessica Stanley pretty much sat in his lap during lecture…and I could get my mind past how he wouldn't tell Lauren Mallory off whenever she would flirt with him in the hallway when we used to live in our old apartment…and I could even let go of the fact that he never said anything to Kate or Irina at the grocery store when they always asked if he wanted an 'extra large sausage' and put extra emphasis on every syllable when I was standing right there.

I would forget about all those times he just dismissed my concerns and told me I was over thinking things and that even if they were interested he only had eyes for me. Because this one time…this one _fucking_ time…if he had stopped being a stupid, fucking gentleman with this head in the sand and finally said something to Tanya…then maybe things would be different.

I couldn't fully blame Edward for all of this though because I knew my own actions were absolutely, without a doubt, completely wrong. But I wasn't going to take all of the responsibility for this massive cluster-fuck. I just needed to clear my head and figure things out before acting on anything again. I wasn't sure where Edward and I stood after everything was said and done last night—maybe he would just want to call this whole thing off and come clean.

I sat there for a little while longer before the sliding door next to me opened and Edward stood there, rubbing his eyes sleepily, wearing nothing but a pair of flannel pajama bottoms.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked in his morning scratchy voice. But it was different the way he said it this time. He sounded so emotionless and completely detached—much like he had last night, and I didn't like it.

"Um…I didn't think…I mean…I wasn't sure if—" I was brought out of my stuttering frenzy by a sudden and rapid knock on the bedroom door.

"Edward! Bella! Fucking eat breakfast before you go at it!" Emmett's booming voice chimed in. And that's when I realized I hadn't locked the door last night.

"I didn't lock the door," I said to Edward quickly. He looked down at me, shocked and at a loss of what to do as the doorknob jiggled.

Everything seemed to happen at once. Suddenly Edward grabbed me around the waist and lifted me up slightly only to sit in the chair and pull me on top of him so I was laying on my back over him. He pulled the blanket on top of us and we both struggled to slow down our heavy breathing before Emmett came barreling through the door.

Then I felt it.

Edward was hard.

And he was pressed right against my ass.

I shifted a little bit to try and make it so his hard-on wasn't pressed against me so awkwardly, but he grabbed my hips tightly and hissed.

"Bella," he said in stern voice. Obviously my shifting wasn't making his problem any easier.

"I'm sorry," I replied exasperated. "It's just…you know…God why are you _hard_, Edward?" I asked, frustrated at the entire situation and embarrassed that this was happening. At the same time I was somewhat smug that I could still elicit that sort of reaction out of him.

"Don't flatter yourself, I'm always like this in the morning," he spat back harshly, though there was something else in his voice that sounded like he wasn't telling the whole truth.

There wasn't anymore time for contemplation, however, as the bedroom door swung open and Emmett strutted right in. He looked around the room confused before looking at the unmade bed. He scratched his head before lifting his eyes and spotting us on the balcony. His face broke out into a mischievous grin as he did a messy somersault over the bed and leaped out the sliding glass door onto the balcony.

I couldn't help but giggle at Emmett; he was the older brother I never had and he always knew how to make me laugh, even without knowing it. He made me feel so comfortable in his presence; so much so that I found myself leaning my head back on Edward's shoulder as I giggled and smiled up at Emmett's beaming face. I didn't move my head simply because we needed to put on the façade of a happy married couple. And because it felt so right.

Edward looked up at Emmett and chuckled slightly at his antics before forcing himself to wrap his arms around my waist over the blanket covering us. "What are you doing home, Emmett?" he asked amused.

"Come on, Edward, I own my own advertisement agency. I took a couple days off. Sue me," he stated, as if Edward's question was the dumbest one in the world to ever be asked. "Breakfast is ready. Mom made waffles and eggs and pancakes...and just what _were_ you two doing out here, hmmm?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"We'll be down in a sec, Em," Edward replied coolly, ignoring Emmett's question.

"Fine. But no quickies in the bathroom," Emmett answered sternly as he turned and walked toward the door. He stopped and turned around to wiggle his tongue in an obscene gesture at us before leaving.

"That was close," I breathed, relieved that we hadn't been caught in a more compromising situation. Although Edward's hard-on was still pressed against me.

"Yea," he sighed in agreement. "Uh, can you…" he trailed off, motioning to his ever-growing problem.

"Oh! Right, sorry," I answered sheepishly as I leaped off of him and wrapped the blanket around myself.

He sighed and stood up before walking into the bedroom and going to make the bed. I helped him—even though he told me I didn't need to; quite harshly I might add—and after brushing our teeth silently side by side, we made our way downstairs and into the kitchen where the rest of the family was piling eggs and bacon and sausages onto their too full plates.

"Good morning, you two," Esme greeted happily from where she was seated at the table next to Jasper and Emmett.

"Morning," we both answered in unison, and then shot each other glares when no one was looking.

I sighed and went to sit in the empty seat beside Alice when Rosalie totally seat tapped my ass. I rolled my eyes and grudgingly went to sit in the last seat next to Edward.

"Are you okay, Bella?" Alice asked in her worried voice. I hated that voice.

I looked up at her and realized that everyone at the table—sans Edward—was looking at me. "Uh, where's Carlisle?" I asked, diverting the attention away from her question.

"He had to go to the hospital today. Doctors can't take _too_ many days off," Esme said with a small smile.

"Yea, dude, they need to save lives and shit," Emmett chimed in with a mouthful of eggs.

I laughed and rolled my eyes at him before taking a sip of my orange juice and glancing at Alice. Her fork-full of pancakes was suspended into the air, on its journey to her mouth, as she just sat there and stared at me quizzically.

"Bella," she said, suddenly snapping out of her own haze. "Why don't you and Edward come with Jazz and me to see the location today? It's absolutely beautiful."

"I'd love to Alice," I answered as enthusiastically as I could.

"I wanna see it!" Rosalie exclaimed, smacking Alice's shoulder.

Alice turned to her and glared, causing Rose to shrink away from her gaze. "I need you to go into the store today. Make sure Kelly is on top of things," Alice quipped demandingly.

Rosalie was the co-owner of the clothing store that Alice owned here in Seattle. They even had some of their own designs featured in the store and it was overall a very respectable and successful place. Their accessories were to die for and I was in desperate need of a new handbag. I wasn't much of a shopper, but some retail therapy was definitely in order. Soon.

"Ooookay," Rosalie replied in response to Alice's sudden demeanor. "Cranky," she muttered under her breath before turning back to her breakfast.

I sighed and shook my head, finishing my breakfast and knowing that I was in for a day of interrogation. Alice and I had known each other since we were kids. She could read me like a book. Of course she knew something was wrong and she wouldn't stop pushing until she figured it out.

After everyone finished eating, Rosalie and I helped Esme clear out the dishes and clean off the table while Alice and the boys went to the living room to play some sort of trivia board game.

"So what was with Alice at breakfast?" Rosalie asked me in a hushed tone as we washed and dried plates side by side. I glanced over at Esme and saw she was wiping down the table and was out of hearing range.

"I don't know," I said as indifferently as I could. I turned back to Rose and took the wet plate from her hand and dried it with a dish towel. "Maybe it's pre-wedding jitters."

"Well that's her own fault for wanting to get married so damn early," Rosalie stated affirmatively as she resumed washing the dishes. I let out a sigh of relief that the conversation took a different turn. "But seriously, she was acting weird. I mean, why does she want you and Edward to see the hotel so badly?" she asked incredulously after handing me the last plate and taking off her rubber gloves.

"Maybe…" I started, trying to stall as I came up with a valid excuse. "Maybe because Edward and I don't live here so she just wants to show us the town."

"You guys have been here before," she threw back at me, turning to look at me with narrowed eyes.

I sighed in frustration and put the last plate away before slamming the cupboard a little too hard. I turned to Rosalie and saw her looking at me, wide-eyed and concerned.

"I honestly don't know what her deal is, Rose," I said, my soft voice a complete contradiction to my actions. "I'll let you know if I figure anything out." And with that, I turned to walk to the staircase so I could go to my room and get ready.

"Bella?" Rosalie called after me.

I stopped on the very first step and rolled my eyes before smoothing out my features and turning to look at her.

"Are _you_ okay?" she asked softly, gazing up at me worriedly.

I looked up just as Edward came out of the living room and toward the stairs. He stopped behind Rose when he heard her question and looked up at me. I tried reading his expression, but it was a blank mask.

I kept my eyes locked with his when I answered Rosalie. "Never been better."

XxXxX

After we got dressed and said goodbye to Esme, Emmett, and a very annoyed Rosalie; Edward, Jasper, Alice, and I hopped into Jasper's black BMW and headed into town. The hotel was only about twenty minutes from the lake house just like Alice had promised it would be. We parked at one of the one hour parking meters before getting out and walking up to the extravagant entrance.

The outside of the hotel was absolutely beautiful. The front had large picture windows where you could see the gorgeous chandeliers hanging from the inside. There were also beautiful flowers and green trees and leaves surrounding it. We walked up the stone pathway to the revolving glass door and made our way inside.

"The banquet hall's this way," Alice said as she took my hand and smiled at me.

I smiled back at her and squeezed her hand, showing her I definitely approved of her choice in location as we made our way down the diamond studded hallway. The tile floors were absolutely stunning and the high ceilings were breathtaking.

"This one," she stated happily as she opened one of the large double doors and peered inside. "I don't think we can go in, but just look." She stepped aside and Edward came to stand beside me as we both peered into the large and absolutely magnificent banquet hall.

The entire side wall was covered with floor to ceiling windows that overlooked Seattle beautifully. There were also a number of crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the tables were positioned absolutely stunningly. It was elegant and classy and definitely Alice.

"It' wonderful, Alice," I breathed in awe as I looked around the room once more and stepped away. Edward nodded in agreement and put his arm around my shoulder as we stood in front of Jasper and Alice.

"Really great choice, you guys," he said sincerely.

"Do you guys want to go to the bar and get some drinks?" Alice asked after she closed the door to the banquet hall.

"At noon, Alice?" Edward asked incredulously with a chuckle.

Alice just shrugged and narrowed her eyes at me ever so slightly. "Bella?" she pressed.

"Um, n-no. No thanks, Alice," I stuttered. I definitely didn't need to drink. It would only make me more of a mess.

"Okay, well I need to use the restroom. Can we meet you boys out front?" Alice asked Jasper as she took my hand. He nodded and kissed her cheek before walking with Edward out the front entrance.

Alice smiled at me hesitantly before half dragging me to the bathroom with her. I didn't have to go so, like a good best friend, I waited by the sinks for her.

"Are you and Edward alright? You both seem…uncomfortable," she said inside the stall as I heard the crinkling of paper as she set down her seat cover.

_Oh shit._

The little pixie is so effing perceptive all the fucking time.

"What do you mean?" I asked noncommittally, trying to appear nonchalant by checking my reflection in the mirror. On the outside I looked calm and collected, but on the inside I was having a full blown panic attack.

"Well, this morning at breakfast for example. You both seemed…frustrated about something," she stated matter-of-factly.

"We both have stuff on our minds I guess," I answered with a shrug even though she couldn't see me.

She finally stepped out of the stall and went to the sink to wash her hands. I watched her cautiously, not sure where this line of conversation would be heading to next.

"Well, I guess it's just something I've been noticing. And Jazz said he brought up something with Edward yesterday that may be the cause of it since he was being all evasive about it," she said as she eyed me curiously and dried her hands with a paper towel.

I racked my brain for any conversation Edward and Jasper could have had that would cause Alice to think it was a valid reason for our strange behavior, but nothing came up.

"Um, yea, you're right Alice. It was that conversation," I managed to grit out, not really sure where I was going with it.

"What about it?" she asked me, her eyes widening immensely.

_Uh-oh._

_I think I just fucked up._

_Back track._

_Back track this mother fucker now!_

"Um…it was just…I don't know. The-the truth came out? Maybe?" I squeaked, still completely unaware of anything that was going on.

I figured that I should be vague enough so that anything I said could pertain to a number of things. I just wanted to end this uncomfortable discussion now.

"Oh my God, Bella!" she squealed, suddenly launching herself into my arms. "Why didn't you say anything about it?" she asked as she squeezed me tightly.

I let out an audible breath of relief and managed to hug Alice back just as tightly. I figured that if whatever it was Alice was talking about made her this happy, then I had nothing to worry about.

"I wanted to surprise you?" It accidentally came out as a question. I wanted to make sure I played this thing the best I could. I would have to talk to Edward later. Maybe he would know what conversation Alice was referring to.

Alice finally pulled away and held both of my hands in hers as she looked at me and laughed excitedly. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone! Just promise you won't wait too long to say something! Esme is going to be thrilled!"

Esme? Why would Esme be thrilled? I pushed those thoughts away and just kept repeating the same mantra over and over again in my head.

_Just smile and nod. Just smile. And. Nod._

Alice finally calmed down before taking my hand once again. She practically skipped next to me as we made our way outside where Edward and Jasper were sitting on a bench, having a deep conversation about something. Their eyes flashed to us when we came into view and they both stood up.

Alice released my hand and went to hug Edward tightly, almost knocking him over when she lunged into his arms. He seemed confused at first, but hesitantly wrapped his arms around her as Jazz looked on curiously, and scratched the back of his head.

Edward looked up at me over Alice's head and gave me a questioning look, but I just shook my head minutely, silently telling him we would need to discuss it later.

The four of us decided on an early lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Seattle as Jasper and Alice showed us some new places that had been built since the last time we arrived. Around three in the afternoon, we made our way to a nearby park where there were many families around and children playing on playgrounds. Alice and Jasper were walking side by side in front of us and Edward and I were behind them. Alice looked over her shoulder at me and smiled like she and I were in on the same private joke before winking and clinging closer to Jasper.

"Okay, what the hell is going on with Alice?" Edward asked quietly so Alice and Jasper wouldn't be able to hear us.

I looked up at him surprised. It was the first time he had talked to me since the whole awkward incident this morning. Aside from the forced embraces and affectionate touches we had done for Alice and Jasper through out the day, he hadn't really said anything to me.

"I don't know," I said softly, looking down as we walked. "She said it had something to do with what you and Jasper talked about yesterday?" I said, looking up at him and hoping he would have at least some insight on what was going on.

He just looked down, his eyebrows knit together in deep concentration, obviously trying to figure out what the hell Alice could be talking about.

"It made her happy, so it can't be that bad, right?" I shrugged nonchalantly.

He raised his head and nodded minutely before glancing at me. Our eyes locked for a while as we walked. His face seemed completely void of any emotion and I knew my did as well. There were so many things I wanted to say to him in that moment; so many thoughts running through my mind, all mixing together. But I couldn't form any words. All I wanted was to just stare at Edward. It had been so long since I had really looked at him, studied his face, and his gorgeous green eyes that always held so much emotion. But not now. Now they were blank.

He finally coughed uncomfortably and looked in front of him as we continued our walk to Jasper's car. The ride to the lake house was surprisingly quiet. I couldn't help but notice Alice bouncing a little bit in her seat and Jasper glancing at her every now and then obviously confused.

When we got back to the house, Alice basically bolted inside, yelling something about helping Esme with dinner. I just sighed and shook my head as the three of us got out of the car and walked into the house. Esme, Rosalie, and Carlisle were in the kitchen helping get the food all prepared while Alice and Emmett were setting the table. We all said our 'hellos' before helping take all the food to the table.

I sat next to Edward and Rosalie once everything was situated and began filling my plate with food. That's when I heard a loud gasp from across the table. Everyone looked up to see Alice and Esme with their heads very close together and smiling excitedly at one another. Alice just nodded and then Esme looked over at me and winked.

I just stared at her, mouth slightly open, not really sure what to make of that. Why was she smiling at me as if she just found out I won the lottery or something? I finally shook out of my thoughts and offered her my most genuine half smile before focusing back on my plate and picking up my fork. I could still hear Alice and Esme whispering across from me and it was becoming increasingly annoying.

"Okay, what the hell?" Rose suddenly demanded, slamming her wine glass on the table. Thank God it was empty. I looked over at her, grateful she had decided to put an end to this atrocity. "Care to share your little secret with the rest of the class?" she asked them mockingly.

All eyes were on Alice and Esme as they looked at Rosalie like they had just been caught red handed eating cookies out of the cookie jar without permission. They both glanced at each other and then looked at me pointedly, both wearing matching grins.

Suddenly all eyes turned to me as I sat there, taking extra time to chew my food and put off the inevitable. Something was going on and I had to figure out what it was. I finally swallowed the contents in my mouth with what I'm sure was a very visible lump, before taking a long drink of my water and setting it back on the table with a heavy sigh.

I looked up at Alice and Esme. "Is something going on?" I asked in a small, innocent voice.

"You tell us," Esme quipped with a smirk.

"Wh—"

"Come on, Bella!" Alice interrupted. "Just tell everyone already. Why put off the inevitable?"

_My sentiments exactly._

I looked at Edward nervously and saw that he was just watching me with the same anxious and confused expression that everyone else at the table—besides Alice and Esme—were wearing. I looked back at Alice and forced a weak smile.

"You know what? Why don't you tell them, Alice? You were the first person to find out so…why don't you just say it?" I said sweetly, hoping to put an end to this madness and get some answers.

"Wait," Jasper suddenly interceded. He looked at Alice. "Does this have to do with what we talked about yesterday, Ali?" Alice just smiled and nodded enthusiastically as Jasper breathed out and smiled over at Edward and me. "Damn," he said, still grinning like an idiot at us. "Guys…wow."

_What a way with words._

"Okay just spill it, Alice!" Rose demanded.

Everyone looked to Alice who just looked at me apprehensively. I nodded, letting her know it was more than okay to continue. She smiled brightly at me and sat up straighter in her seat, looking at each and every individual at the table before getting up and looking directly at Edward and me.

"Bella's pregnant!"

_Oh. My. God._

"Oh. My. God," I said as I put one hand over my mouth and just stared at Alice. She was standing there, smiling proudly at me as everyone at the table broke into chatter, turning to Edward and I and offering congratulations and sweet smiles.

I chanced a glance at Edward just as Carlisle was patting him on the back proudly and saw him wearing the most confused expression ever. But there was something else. Anger. His jaw was clenched and he was staring at me as if I had just run over his cat.

I turned back to Alice and saw her watching us completely confused. "Alice, can I talk to you for a second?" I asked as I stood up and left the room right as Emmett was telling me about some sort of new, more absorbent diaper I might be interested in.

I walked to the foyer since it was the furthest thing from the kitchen before turning around and coming face to face with a very confused and very worried Alice.

"Bella, what's wrong?" she asked me concerned.

"Alice, I'm-I'm not pregnant," I said in a somewhat shaky voice.

"You're not?" she squeaked disbelievingly.

I shook my head furiously, tears already emerging. I don't know why I was crying. I think it was the embarrassment and guilt from stupidly leading Alice on. I should have said something when she came to me with all this crap in the first place.

"No," I finally managed to ground out. "What made you think that?"

"Well, I told you Jazz said he and Edward talked about that stuff yesterday. We thought it might have something to do with why you guys have been acting so strange lately."

"Talked about what, Alice?" I asked, annoyed with all of these unanswered questions.

"Yesterday on the boat. Jasper brought up you and Edward having kids and he said Edward got all elusive about it. Jazz told me because I was talking to him about how the two of you haven't been acting like yourselves lately, like you've been hiding something. It just seemed to make sense. I mean, the mood swings—like last night when you suddenly ran out from the bon fire. And today, when I said we should get drinks, you didn't want anything. I just figured you were keeping it a secret to surprise us or something," she explained, her voice growing softer toward the end.

"You mean you only asked if I wanted drinks so you could test and see if I was pregnant?" I asked incredulously.

She just nodded and sighed. "I guess I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. But you were agreeing with everything I said I mean, what did _you _think I was talking about, Bella?"

"I honestly didn't know," I answered truthfully, knowing it was best not to lie anymore. "I was just tired and I didn't really feel like trying to figure out what it is you were talking about. It's mainly my fault. I shouldn't have led you on like that. I should have been honest."

"I'm sorry, Bella. I really thought you and Edward were finally having a baby and just didn't know how to share the news with us," she said in a small voice.

"How are we going to tell everyone?" I asked nervously.

"It's my fuck up, I'll do it," she said with finality as she looked up at me and wiped the tears away. I hadn't even realized she had started to cry.

"Just tell them it was a huge misunderstanding and…God I am _so_ embarrassed!"

"Don't be, Bells," Alice said firmly, putting her arm around my shoulder and rubbing my arm soothingly. "Just think of how great it will be when you and Edward really _do_ have kids one day. Then we can all _really_ get excited," she said with a teary smile.

I let out a strangled sob, but for completely different reasons than Alice probably thought. Edward and I would never have kids together. That life was over and the reality of it was eating me up inside.

"I'll go tell everyone. You just go up to bed, okay?" she said sweetly, kissing my head and giving me a meaningful look before walking back to the kitchen.

I sighed and wiped the rest of my tears away before walking up the stairs and into the bedroom. I closed the door behind me and went to sit on the edge of the bed. Five minutes hadn't even passed by before the door opened. I looked up, startled at how abruptly it had been swung open, and saw Edward standing there, looking at me. The anger in his eyes was now replaced with worry and concern. For me.

"Are you okay, Bella?" he asked softly as he knelt down in front of me. "Alice told everyone about the misunderstanding. I can't believe that conversation with Jasper actually came back to bite us in the ass," he said with a strangled chuckle.

I looked up at him and nodded, all traces of any tears now gone. "Yea, well, I guess it was my fault. I just kept agreeing with everything she said and I didn't even know what she was talking about."

He just nodded and sighed, standing up straight and walking into the bathroom. I heard the faucet turn on and realized he was brushing his teeth.

"Edward?" I called out tensely.

"Mmhmm," he answered.

"Why did you seem…angry downstairs? When Alice first said I was pregnant?" I asked, picking at the comforter nervously.

It was quiet for a few minutes until the faucet finally turned off and Edward stood in the doorway of the bathroom.

"I thought you were pregnant," he started gravely. I looked up at him before he continued. "With someone else."

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. I just looked down in my lap and sighed, shaking my head. "No, I…I haven't been with anyone else," I said quietly. I wasn't sure what made me say it, but I felt like it needed to be voiced out loud.

"Me either," he said in almost a whisper.

"This…this is getting harder, Edward," I choked out, standing up and walking to the middle of the bedroom. Edward moved from where he was in the doorway and came to stand in front of me so we were face to face. "I don't know how long I can do this. Lie to them like this," I said hesitantly.

"Why? What made now so different?" he demanded.

"I don't know. Just the way Alice was so sure we would eventually have kids some day. They don't know that that will never happen. They don't know what's really going on. I didn't realize how much all of this affects everyone else. We're breaking all of their hearts like this."

"So what do you expect we do? Tell them?" he asked incredulously. "It's going to be a hell of a lot easier to wait until after the wedding. Once everything is settled and done. Then we can just break it to them gently. But not here. Not now, not after all this shit's already happened." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed deeply.

"I can't believe she thought I was pregnant," I whispered, practically to myself, looking down at the floor. "Everyone was so excited. They must be so confused right now."

"They were," Edward said. "But…it was a misunderstanding. It's over now."

I nodded and looked back up at him and saw him watching me carefully. "What?"

He just stared at me like he was having an internal battle with himself. Something was on his mind and he wasn't sure if he wanted to say it. "What would you do if you found out you were pregnant with my child right now?" he asked suddenly.

"What?" I asked, surprised at his line of questioning.

"What would you do…if you found out you were pregnant with my child right now," he repeated slowly. I tried reading his expression, but it was one of complete calm and neutrality.

"I-I don't know…what-what kind of question is that, Edward?" I choked out.

"A good one," he stated simply.

"I…" I didn't know what to say. Why would he suddenly ask me this question? I knew I would keep it, but why would he want to know that? "I'd have it," I finally said, glancing at him. His expression remained neutral. "What would _you_ do if you found out I was pregnant with your child right now?" I threw the question back at him and awaited his answer anxiously.

"Try to be the greatest father I can be," he replied immediately in a quiet, raspy voice.

His words tore at my heart and just amplified the realization that Edward and I would never have the chance to have children together. The life we always thought we would have seemed so distant now.

"That would complicate things though," I said with a small laugh, trying to lighten the dark mood and end this conversation.

"Yes," he agreed with a forced laugh. "Considering…everything…"

I nodded and let out a sigh of relief that all this misunderstanding was finally over. "We should probably go downstairs and...make sure everything's okay."

He nodded silently and went to open the door for me. However, when he opened it, we were not met with an empty hallway. Instead Emmett and Rosalie were both leaning on either side of the doorway and watching us with accusatory glares. They straightened up their postures and stood side by side directly in front of us, blocking us from leaving.

Edward and I just stood frozen in the doorway next to each other, both of us probably wearing identical masks of shock as Emmett crossed his arms and looked back and forth between Edward and me, most likely waiting for one of us to say something first. But it was Rose who spoke up next.

"What. The. Fuck?"

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, not much to say on my end. What about you guys? ;)**


	6. Love Drunk

_**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**_

**Author's Note:** **Do I really have to tell you guys how amazing you are? I think you know it already. Even though it's hard for me to reply to every review on here, I read and appreciate every single one so thank you so much! Okay, sorry for leaving with a cliffhanger last chapter. I have found it is a habit of mine, but it is not on purpose, I swear! Doesn't it make the wait for next chapter all the more thrilling though? Okay, no more waiting. Enjoy!**

* * *

_**Rosalie POV**_

I watched as Edward left the kitchen and headed upstairs after Alice came out and explained the misunderstanding. How do you fucking misunderstand somebody being pregnant? Alice needed to get her head out of her ass sometimes.

I let out a deep sigh as I thought about everything that had been going on lately. Bella and Edward were both acting strange. There was something going on there and everyone else seemed blind to it. Alice obviously picked up on something, but after her little fuck up tonight, she was probably going to be treading very carefully when it came to Bella and just let her weird shit go. Well not me. No. Fucking. Way.

I excused myself from the kitchen just as everyone started cleaning up their places. I heard Emmett say my name before his footsteps trailed close behind me on the staircase.

"Babe, where you going?" he asked as he jogged to keep up with me.

I didn't say anything to him as I continued to glare in the direction of Edward and Bella's bedroom. I stopped outside of it and finally turned around to face him.

"Something's going on with those two," I whispered to a very confused Emmett. "I need to figure out why they've been acting so fucking weird lately."

"What are you talking about?" Emmett whispered back. I held back a smile because he was following my lead in keeping our voices quiet and didn't even know that I was doing it so Edward and Bella wouldn't think we were eavesdropping—even though we were about to do exactly that.

"Listen, there's just something—"

"Edward?" Bella's voice suddenly called out from the other side of the door. I stopped mid-sentence, mouth hanging open, as Emmett's eyes darted to the closed bedroom door.

We heard a very muffled 'Mmhmm' on Edward's end as Bella continued, "Why did you seem angry downstairs? When Alice first said I was pregnant?" Bella asked in an unsure voice.

Emmett and I both pressed our ears up against the door at the same time in order to hear Edward's quiet response. "I thought you were pregnant…with someone else," he said softly.

I scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion and looked at Emmett, but he seemed just as bewildered as me.

"No, I…I haven't been with anyone else," Bella replied in a soft voice.

I strained to hear Edward's response, but couldn't. "What did he say?" I whispered to Emmett.

He looked at me and furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. "Meat cleaver?

"Wh—" I started before rolling my eyes and realizing what Edward _actually_ said. "_Me either_," I whispered to Emmett, emphasizing the words to show him what an idiot he was sometimes.

He opened his mouth to berate me for making fun of him, but was cut off by Bella's voice, "This…this is getting harder, Edward. I don't know how long I can do this. Lie to them like this," she said nervously.

_What the fuck? Lie to us about what?_

"Why? What made now so different?" Edward's said in a louder voice.

"I don't know," Bella answered. "Just the way Alice was so sure we would eventually have kids some day. They don't know that that will never happen. They don't know what's really going on. I didn't realize how much all of this affects everyone else. We're breaking all of their hearts like this."

"So what do you expect we do? Tell them?" Edward asked her in a tone that made it seem like whatever they were keeping a secret needed to _stay _a secret. "It's going to be a hell of a lot easier to wait until after the wedding. Once everything is settled and done. Then we can just break it to them gently. But not here. Not now, not after all this shit's already happened."

I looked at Emmett and mouthed, "What the hell?"

He just shrugged and looked equally confused as me as we continued listening to their conversation. We had to strain to hear the rest of it because they were talking so damn quietly now.

"What would you do…if you found out you were pregnant with my child right now," Edward suddenly asked in a soft and timid voice.

"I-I don't know…what-what kind of question is that, Edward?" Bella replied, sounding like she was on the verge of tears.

"A good one," Edward stated.

I rolled my eyes at his arrogance and Emmett let out a soft chuckle as Bella replied, "I…I'd have it," she paused for a second before adding, "What would _you_ do if you found out I was pregnant with your child right now?"

"Try to be the greatest father I can be," Edward answered in a voice that made it sound like _he _was now on the verge of crying.

I glanced at Emmett to see if he heard the emotion in Edward's voice, but he just looked at me and mouthed 'pansy,' to which I slapped him silently yet roughly on the shoulder before turning my attention back to Edward and Bella's conversation.

"That would complicate things though," Bella finally said with a laugh that seemed a little too forced.

"Yes…considering…everything…" Edward agreed.

"We should probably go downstairs and...make sure everything's okay," Bella said after a few seconds passed.

I glared at the door as Emmett and I straightened up and leaned on either side of the doorframe, blocking the two of them from running once the questioning started. It took all of five seconds for the door to finally open and for Edward and Bella to stand there looking like a couple of deer caught in the headlights.

There was only one thing to say now, and I said it.

"What. The. Fuck?"

"What the fuck is exactly right, Rosie," Emmett agreed, crossing his arms over his chest. We had both stood up straight so we were directly in front of the two of them. Any means of leaving was out of the question.

Bella's mouth must have opened and closed like a fish's at least a dozen times as Edward just stared at the two of us and continuously ran a hand roughly through his hair.

Nervous habit.

Interesting.

"What are you so nervous about there, Eddie?" I crossed my arms and asked him in a mocking tone, tilting my head slightly to the side as I studied him.

He stopped mid pull and stared at me for a few seconds before stuttering, "N-Nothing. Why are you guys standing outside of our door?" he asked, raising his voice in an accusatory manner.

Getting defensive.

_Interesting_.

"Why so touchy, _Eddie_?" Emmett chimed in, standing up a little taller and staring his brother down.

"Why the fuck are you only asking _me_?" Edward finally demanded, looking back and forth between the two of us.

"Enough crap. What the hell are you two up to?" I finally ground out. I held up my hand when I saw the word 'nothing' forming on Bella's lips. "_Don't_…say nothing," I said through gritted teeth.

She snapped her mouth shut and looked down at her feet, sighing. "Rose…please. Not now," she said in a small, pleading voice.

"Then when?" I pressed. "After the wedding? After everything is _settled and done_?" I asked, quoting Edward's words from earlier and looking at him pointedly.

"You were eaves-dropping?" he asked me, raising his voice. "Who the hell do you think you _are_?"

"Don't talk to my wife like that," Emmett said as he came to stand in front of me. Edward took a couple steps back as Emmett's chest collided with his. "Tell us what the fuck is going on. _Now_," he instructed.

"None of your fucking business," Edward spat back before glancing down at Bella who had remained quiet through out the entire exchange.

"Bella—" I started in a soft voice. She interrupted me by grabbing my hand and pulling me into the bedroom Emmett and I were staying in. I glanced behind me and saw Edward watching us with Emmett standing, still facing him. I vaguely heard Emmett say, "Get your ass in there," to Edward before the door to Bella and Edward's bedroom slammed shut.

I sighed and closed the door after Bella and I walked into mine and Emmett's room. She went and sat on the edge of the bed, looking like a girl defeated. I knew Emmett was in the other bedroom with Edward right now, pulling teeth to get him to talk. I hoped Bella would be easier. I took a deep breath as I slowly walked over to her, getting ready for the best, most soothing thing I could say to get her to confide in me, but she beat me to it.

"Edward and I are getting a divorce," she mumbled quietly, staring down at her lap.

I opened my mouth in shock and just stood frozen where I was.

_Well, at least it wasn't difficult to get her to talk._

"What?" I asked stupidly, even though I had heard her.

She sighed and looked up at me. "Edward and I are getting a divorce. We've been separated for three months."

I knew my mouth was probably still hanging open like an idiot, but I couldn't give a shit right now. My best friend was getting a divorce. Bella and Edward—the two most in love people on the planet—were getting a divorce. If those two couldn't make it, what fucking chance did the rest of us have?

"_Why_, Bella?" I asked as I went to sit next to her, putting my arm tightly around her shoulder.

She sucked in a deep breath before leaning into me and resting her head on my shoulder, "It was our anniversary…" She went on to tell me the details of that night. How she found Tanya in the office with Edward in a very compromising situation. How she had warned him about Tanya's flirtations over the months that she was working for him, to which Edward—who was forever being the fucking gentleman—brushed off without a care.

I knew Bella always had some insecurity issues when it came to Edward. Skanks were always hitting on him, and although he would politely let them know he wasn't interested, some of those bitches could not take a polite hint.

Alice and I would constantly assure Bella that Edward was head over heels in love with her and that those women meant absolutely nothing to him; she had to know that. But at the same time I could understand her side. I mean, the guy was a sex God. Of course girls pined after him and he always tried to keep his cool, but he had to know how uncomfortable it made Bella. To see him in there with one of the skanks themselves had to have been Bella's breaking point. I agreed with her. He should have fired that bitch.

I was just about ready to get up and go into the bedroom Edward was in and kick his ass down the streets of Seattle when Bella told me about Jacob.

"Oh, Bella," I gasped, rubbing her arm in a soothing manner. "Why did you do that, honey?" I asked in what I hoped was a sweet, comforting voice—although I'm sure she sensed my shock.

"I don't know," she replied in a shaky voice. "He wanted me…when I thought Edward didn't. It was stupid…" she trailed off.

"But Edward _does_ want you. It was all a misunderstanding," I insisted, pulling away so I could look at her.

"That's just _it_, Rosalie," she said, scooting away so she could face me as she wiped some stray tears away. "It was a misunderstanding that turned into a complete cluster-fuck and made everything go to shit. I don't know how the hell we can go back to the way we were before all of this happened."

"Just _talk _to him, Bella," I persisted desperately.

"Don't you think we _have_?" she asked, raising her voice a little bit. "It always leads to fighting."

"That's because you're both so _hurt_," I stated adamantly. "And stubborn and madly in love. You're both thinking too emotionally right now. All this shit is getting to your heads. Don't let it cloud the way you feel about each other."

She sighed, a woman defeated. "What's done is done, Rose," she replied gravely, her previously wet eyes now completely void of anymore tears. "He didn't listen…all those years of fucking telling him and he didn't listen. And the one girl…the _one girl_ he should have listened to me about…was the one who tore us apart." She paused and took the moment to clear her head before looking down and mumbling, "And the worst part of it all is…even though he didn't do anything with her…I still hate him for always taking those girls so lightly….and I hate myself for _throwing_ myself at the first person I found."

I let her words sink in and processed everything she had just said. I could understand her side; I was always there when girls would hit on Edward and I saw how it made Bella feel. Even though she put on a brave face for him when he told her not to worry, I could tell it was eating her up inside. Of course something like this would break her.

But, _Edward_. Fuck, he didn't do anything with Tanya and yet Bella made out with Jacob. I was so torn between who was right and who was wrong that it was making my head hurt.

Then it hit me.

"You're both wrong," I said softly, staring at the ground in front of me.

"What?" Bella asked. I knew she hadn't heard me since I practically whispered it.

I looked up at her and stood up, towering over her still sitting form. "I said you're both fucking _wrong_! You've let this thing get completely out of control. He fucked up. You fucked up. He didn't listen. _You_ didn't listen. He's being an idiot. _You're_ being an idiot! You're both being fucking _idiots_! Now grow the fuck up and talk to each other because I swear on my mother's _grave_, Bella Swan, that if you really throw a love like this away over a stupid fucking misunderstanding …then I will never…_ever_...speak to you again." I was panting quite heavily once I finished my speech, having gone completely out of breath in my fit of rage. I probably said 'fuck' about a dozen times, but I didn't care. They were being so dumb and they needed to know it. It may have been extreme, but nothing seemed to be getting through to her. I just hoped Bella would pass on my message to Edward because I didn't think I had the energy to do a repeat performance.

Finally, after a few minutes of just staring up at me—wide-eyed and shocked at my outburst—Bella stood up directly in front of me, looked me straight in the eye, and said in a soft voice, "I really hope you don't mean that, Rosalie."

And with that she walked past me and toward the bedroom door to leave. I turned around and watched as she grabbed the doorknob. "Tell Emmett I want to see him," I said through gritted teeth. She merely paused at the doorway, nodded curtly, and without looking back once, made her leave.

I was fuming. I was fucking _pissed_. How could two people so in love act so fucking _stupid_? How could they really think that they would be able to come here for four weeks and keep the fact that they weren't even together anymore a secret?

I had to get some control. The whole outburst with Bella was taking a toll on my already erratically beating heart. I took deep breaths in and out for a few minutes before the door to the bedroom opened and Emmett stepped in. He looked just as angry as me, if not more. He closed the door behind him before standing in front of it and looking at me.

"Did he tell you everything?" I asked, till trying to control my breathing and reign in my anger.

Emmett nodded curtly.

"Fucking idiots," I mumbled.

"Tell me about it," he replied harshly. I knew where his anger was being aimed at. The two children that were two rooms down from us. "We need to do something, Rose," Emmett added, his voice softening immensely.

I looked up at him and saw just how upset he was. It was the vulnerable side that many people didn't see coming from Emmett. I just nodded and thought for a few minutes before squaring my shoulders and clearing my throat, gaining Emmett's attention since his eyes were downcast. He looked back up at me.

"Tomorrow night. At the engagement party," I started. He raised his eyebrows for me to continue. "Make sure there's lots of alcohol," I stated with finality.

A devilish smile slowly spread across his face as realization sunk in.

I tried getting through to Bella. Emmett _tried_ knocking some sense—literally, apparently—into Edward. So if Bella and Edward refused to talk to each other and wouldn't take any advice from us, then it was time to bring in the reinforcements. I knew it was probably not the best solution, but considering the situation, it was the only option we had left. Desperate times called for plans that may or may not fucking blow up in all of our faces.

I just hoped Bella was still a lightweight.

_**Edward POV**_

Fucking Emmett. Pinning me to the ground until I cried 'uncle.' Obviously I told him all the shit that happened between Bella and me. The fucker wouldn't get the hell off of me and he weighed a thousand pounds.

First, he punched me in the stomach and then kicked me in the back of the knee, causing me to fall over onto the ground as he yelled about what an idiot I was and how the two of us needed to—quote—'get our heads out of our stubborn little asses and make up already.'

If only it was that simple.

He seemed to be at a loss of what to say when I told him what had transpired between Bella and me. I told him about her insecurity issues and how I realized I probably made it fucking harder for her by blowing shit off when she would try to get me to understand, but I didn't know what I was supposed to do. Some girls—i.e., Tanya—didn't know when enough was enough.

He sympathized with me when I told him about Bella and Jacob, but berated me for 'driving her to such extremes' by constantly brushing off Bella's concerns when it came to other girls. I didn't really think I was brushing them off. I just wasn't acknowledging those girls. I didn't see them. I only saw Bella.

Emmett called me a pansy ass for that comment and went on to explain that this whole misunderstanding was a fucking mess and that we needed to fix it. Now. Little did he know that every time Bella and I got to talking it would always lead to arguing. Nothing ever got fixed.

He said things had gone too far and they had. I agreed with him there. But when I told him that they had gone too far and there was no way in hell we could ever go back to how things were before, he punched me—again—and kicked me in the back of the knee—again—and I fell to the ground—again—and he told me that the two of us were being stupid and that we were both at fault for this.

I knew that was true, but he still didn't get it. We had gone through too much shit to just let it all slide. He told me divorce wasn't the answer. That two people in love don't give up. But I told him I wasn't giving up; I was defeated and I didn't see anyway I could recover.

He called me a pansy ass again.

There was a knock on the door and then Bella walked in timidly, her eyes widening when she saw me lying on the ground with Emmett's foot pressed into my chest. Emmett looked over at her and sighed in frustration before lifting his foot off of me and taking a few steps back. I coughed and quickly stood up on my feet just as Emmett sucked in a deep breath. I knew he was getting ready to chew Bella out now, but she spoke up first.

"Rose wants to see you," she said quietly.

He closed his mouth and clenched his jaw before turning to glare at me and then brushing past her, closing the door roughly as he left.

I looked up at Bella and opened my mouth to speak, but Emmett opened the door again and peered inside. "Were the two of you really going to keep this from all of us until after the wedding?" he asked through clenched teeth.

Bella and I both looked at each other before shifting our eyes to the floor. I heard Emmett curse under his breath before slamming the door shut and walking with heavy footsteps to his and Rosalie's bedroom.

Bella and I didn't say anything else to each other that night as we silently brushed our teeth and got ready for bed. I went on my side of the bed, sleeping on top of the comforter and using the extra blankets I had brought in for myself. She slept on her side of the bed, under the covers, facing away from me. There was a pillow between our heads, blocking each other from view.

I turned off my light. She turned off hers. We both fell asleep without saying one word to each other, but I knew nothing needed to be said now. Rosalie and Emmett knew our secret. That only meant one thing.

We were so completely fucked.

XxXxX

"Edward! Please wear this tie! It matches your shirt better!" Alice insisted for the millionth time that night, thrusting the black silk tie in my face. I groaned in frustration before grabbing it from her and grudgingly putting it on. I decided I wouldn't make the bride-to-be angry.

Tonight was Jasper and Alice's engagement party. Apparently they were inviting all their friends and some family over to celebrate the soon-to-be union. Although I was excited to celebrate this with my sister and best friend, the whole incident with Rosalie and Emmett last night had taken a toll on me. It was safe to say I was on edge. I was just waiting for them to say something to someone, anyone. But they didn't. No one knew. And I couldn't understand why the hell they were keeping it a secret.

"Bella!" Alice suddenly yelled excitedly. I looked up from the tie I was currently struggling with and saw Bella standing in the doorway of the bathroom, looking absolutely stunning in a simple black cocktail dress and red pumps.

Fuck, she was so beautiful.

She blushed and looked down at her feet before laughing at Alice's excitement. "Alice, I'm going to die in these heels," she murmured as she studied her shoes. She looked up at me and her smile faltered before she caught herself and continued smiling at the two of us.

"Nonsense, Bella! You look hot!" Alice chirped as she walked over to Bella and smoothed out the front of her dress. "Doesn't she, Edward?" she asked me expectantly as she adjusted Bella's smooth curls. I loved when her hair was naturally wavy like that.

"Y-Yea," I replied, my voice catching in my throat. I coughed conspicuously and Alice just smirked.

"Jeez, Bella, you have Edward all flustered. Should I leave the two of you alone?" she teased.

Bella and I shared an uneasy look, but Alice was completely oblivious as she continued messing with Bella's hair some more. I wish she would stop. Bella's hair looked perfect the way it was. _She _looked perfect the way she was. Always.

Fuck, maybe Emmett was right. Maybe I _was_ some pansy ass. After everything Bella had put me through over the last few months, I still couldn't deny my attraction to her. And I hated her all the more because of the way she made me feel.

"There, Bella," Alice announced proudly, stepping away from her and studying Bella's figure. "Perfect. Right, Edward?" Alice asked me nonchalantly as she fixed her own short, black hair.

"Yea," I whispered in agreement as Bella's eyes snapped up to mine. "Perfect."

XxXxX

The guests started arriving some time around seven and the living room and backyard were becoming completely packed. I just wanted to be alone, but everywhere I went old friends or family members I hadn't seen in forever would try to strike up conversation. I just wasn't feeling it tonight.

I walked into the kitchen, since that was the most vacant place in the whole house, and sat at the bar stool opening my second beer of the evening.

"Why are you going so light tonight, Eddie boy?" Emmett's annoying voice suddenly chimed in as he strolled into the kitchen and took out a bottle of some hard liquor I hadn't seen in the living room earlier and opened it, pouring a generous amount into a tall glass and setting it in front of me. "Drink. You've been having a rough time lately."

I looked up at Emmett in shock. His eyes showed nothing but sincerity and that only surprised me more. He was sounding like a compassionate older brother who knew I was having a tough time and decided getting me hammered was the best way to handle it.

"Okay," I answered hesitantly, grabbing the glass and drinking about half of it at one time. I set it back down with a content sigh and saw Emmett with a huge shit-eating grin on his face as he poured some more into the half empty glass.

I drank all of it this time.

I wasn't sure how long I was in the kitchen with Emmett or how many fucking drinks we had—although Emmett called it quits after half an hour of non-stop drinking. He started pouring me another shot, but I held up my hand and shook my head. I had had enough for one night.

"You sure?" he asked me, raising his eyebrows. "You've been through a rough time," he repeated ominously.

"Yea, I fucking know. That's no reason to drink myself into a God-damned coma," I spat back harshly.

He chuckled and shook his head just as Rosalie sauntered in. "Edward, Alice is asking for you," she said, looking at Emmett. They shared a silent exchange for a few moments before looking away from each other and then at me.

I watched them in confusion before shaking my head and stumbling off of the barstool. I heard Emmett laughing at me as I struggled to walk out into the living room like a normal person. I looked around, but Alice was nowhere to be seen. With a heavy sigh, I started making my way upstairs, realizing I needed to get the hell away from everyone.

"Edward!"

I turned around when _her_ voice called my name and saw Bella standing next to a few of Alice's friends. They were all smiling at me and Bella said something to them before running over to me in her fucking amazing fuck-me heels.

"My husband!" she sang happily.

I smirked at her and realized she was probably just as drunk as me. Apparently Rosalie thought she had been having a rough time as well.

"Bella," I said in a raspy voice, acknowledging her presence. My eyes, however, were only trained on her red pumps. They were so fucking sexy. I finally diverted my droopy eyes away from them and looked up at her.

"Where are you going?" she asked me curiously, tilting her head to the side.

"Up to our room," I answered as smoothly as I could manage.

"Alone?"

I nodded and watched her carefully as she seemed lost in her own thoughts. "Do you want to come?" I asked her, slurring my words slightly.

Her mouth pulled up into a smirk. "Oh, I want to come, _Edward_," she breathed as she brushed past me, her ass making full contact with my now hard cock. I had to hold onto the railing behind me to keep myself upright.

_Had she really just said that to me?_

I walked up the remainder of the steps and glanced behind me to make sure no one was watching us. I knew they thought we were still a married couple and everything, but it still looked a little sleazy for the two of us to drunkenly retire to our rooms while everyone else was still downstairs.

Well, the fuck with them.

I closed the bedroom door behind me and looked over to where Bella was sitting on the edge of the bed, playing with the hem of her dress. I didn't hesitate to go sit right beside her, our thighs practically touching. I watched her biting her lip as she studied the floor.

"What are you thinking?" I whispered.

She looked up at me, her eyes slightly glazed over from the drinks she had obviously downed earlier. "You," she replied without hesitation.

"What about me?" My voice came out raspier and shakier than I had intended.

She stared at me for a few seconds before she finally looked away, studying the floor intensely once again. "Fuck, I drank a lot," she suddenly announced, shaking her head and giggling.

I couldn't help but chuckle in return. "I know. Fucking Emmett," I mumbled before looking at her once again.

A piece of stray hair fell across her face and I saw her hand twitch in her lap and knew she was going to brush it away. Instead, I reached up slowly and gently tucked it behind her ear. She looked up at me and visibly shook from the contact.

"Why did you do that?" she whispered, refusing to look at me.

"Wanted to see you," I slurred, completely captivated by her beauty. She was so fucking close to me.

"Edward," she breathed, her eyes fluttering closed as the hand that had tucked her hair behind her ear was now gently cupping the side of her face.

"Tell me," I whispered, not really sure what I was asking for. I didn't even realize what I was doing until I had leaned into her neck and placed a soft kiss just below her ear. She shivered slightly in response and I smirked against her warm skin. "Do you like that?" I asked smugly. I knew it made me sound like an arrogant ass, but I blamed it on the alcohol.

_Fuck, I needed to stop this._

My head was still resting in the crook of her neck and I knew I should have pulled away since she didn't seem to want to _push _me away. I knew we both probably had a little too much too drink and would regret it if we did something stupid. In the back of my mind, I kept repeating that over and over again. But my body didn't move away from her. Instead, one of my hands reached over and made its way under the hem of Bella's dress and slid up her warm thigh.

And, _fuck_. She didn't even push me away. She spread her fucking legs _wider_ for me.

I moved my mouth across her neck and over to her jaw and chin, finally reaching her cheek and placing a soft, lingering kiss there before I pulled away and looked into her brown eyes. She was so close, our noses practically touching. She swallowed a very visible lump in her throat and as I slid my hand up to the edge of her silk panties, I kept my eyes locked on hers.

I knew she was drunk. Her eyes were red and watery and she wasn't stopping me. I knew _I _was drunk because I wasn't fucking stopping _myself_.

Somewhere, in the far back of my subconscious where sober Edward resided, I knew I should have pulled away. I knew it was wrong to do what I was doing; that we would both probably hate ourselves in the morning, but I hadn't ever been close to anyone the way I was with Bella. And after three months of not being with her in any way, my body was reacting immensely to the close proximity. Even if our actions were being fueled by the alcohol we had consumed, it didn't seem right to waste a perfectly good moment.

_Yea, Cullen, keep telling yourself that._

I knew I should have stopped before things got too far, but instead, I slid two fingers into her panties and found her wet and ready for me. She moaned my name and then her lips were on mine, kissing furiously and grabbing the collar of my shirt, pulling me closer to her as I slipped two fingers inside of her.

I began pumping in and out of her quickly, not really wasting any time. I wanted to make her come. And then maybe drunk Bella would return the favor to drunken Edward and they would live happily ever after.

"Fuck, Edward," she hissed as I continued thrusting my fingers in and out of her and rubbing her clit with every stroke. "That feels…so good. Mmm…_God_, I missed your fingers," she breathed.

_Shit._

I forgot Bella talked dirty when she was drunk. It completely turned me on and I was afraid I would explode right there in my pants without her even having to touch me.

"Stop," she finally whimpered after a few minutes. I inwardly cursed when I realized she had probably processed what we were doing and had come to her senses. But I was still far too drunk to come to mine and I needed to feel her let go because of me. Just once.

"Edward, stop," she breathed again, placing one hand on my chest and pushing me back.

I looked at her and she grabbed my wrist, pulling my fingers out of her wetness and placing them in my lap. I was watching her confused as she stood up. And then I realized what she was doing.

She unzipped the back of her dress and let it slide right off her shoulders. My already hard cock got even harder when I saw she was wearing a strapless black bra and matching black panties.

"Fuck, my wife is hot," I said before I could stop myself. My drunken filter was not kicking in.

She smirked and kicked off her fuck-me heels, stumbling a bit in her drunken haze. I quickly unbuttoned my shirt and lost my tie, throwing them in a pile on the floor as I slid up the bed. Bella crawled on hands and knees over to me until she was straddling my lap.

She sat up and quickly unbuttoned my pants as I reached behind her and unclasped her bra, taking her beautiful, warm breasts into my hands. She moaned and threw her head back, biting her lip as I massaged her hard peaks.

"Edward," she moaned. "Mmm, why am I divorcing you again?"

"Fuck if I know, baby," I gasped as she started palming my dick through my black boxer-briefs.

She laughed heartily as she got rid of her panties and swiftly pulled my boxers down. I kicked them off with my pants and grabbed Bella's thighs, positioning her wet pussy over my aching and ready cock.

Then it fucking hit me that we were both fucking wasted and we were about to fuck. Shit, was it bad to do if you were both drunk? Or was that okay? Shit, was she going to think I took advantage of her? She would kill me. I smirked despite myself.

_What a fucking way to go._

I was brought out of my musings, however, when Bella suddenly slammed herself onto my cock. I looked up at her and clenched my jaw as she placed a hand on either side of my head on the bed and began riding me. Fast and hard.

Drunk Bella was kinky Bella.

Even in the darkness I could make out her facial expressions. She was fucking enjoying every minute of this.

_Shit, why was I still having an inner monologue? I should be enjoying this _with_ her._

I grabbed her hips and began thrusting myself up into her each time she slammed down on me.

"Edward," she moaned as she continued riding my cock. "You are…oh God…so beautiful," she mumbled incoherently. Most of it came out sounding like gibberish in her drunken haze, but I could still make out some of it.

"Not as beautiful as you, love," I ground out.

I grabbed her hips tighter and flipped us over so she was lying on her back. I held onto the wooden bed post above Bella's head with one hand as I grabbed her hip with the other and began driving myself into her even harder. My entire body felt like it was disconnected from the rest of me, but the alcohol only served to heighten all of my senses. Every nerve ending in my body seemed to be hard at work, producing sensations I had never felt before.

"You're still…so tight," I managed to say between thrusts. "So fucking tight. Shit, I'm coming," I hissed, because it seemed like the best thing to say at the time.

She moaned my name one last time as we both reached our release together and I whispered her name over and over again against her damp neck as her pussy continued clenching around me and I gradually slowed my thrusts.

I collapsed on top of her, both of us a sticky, sweaty mess before I pulled out and rolled over onto my back, trying to steady my heavy breathing.

"Shit," I breathed shakily.

"I know, _shit_," she agreed, turning to look at me. "That was so good, Edward," she said in a low, seductive voice.

I nodded and looked up at the ceiling. "I'm so wasted right now, Bella," I blurted out for some unknown reason.

"Fu-uck," she laughed heartily. "Me too!" She sat up on her elbow and looked down at her sweaty body before lifting the comforter and slipping underneath. "Feel like…I could…pass out right now," she mumbled incoherently. "Best…fuck…ever," she murmured. That last part made me smirk. Talk about a fucking ego boost.

I knew she had passed out and it didn't take long for me to follow suit. The alcohol mixed with the intense fucking had exhausted me and I let the darkness slowly overtake me.

XxXxX

I had the worst fucking headache imaginable when I woke up the next morning. I groaned at the intruding sun and placed a hand over my face.

I was going to kick Emmett's ass. It was hit fault I was so fucking drunk the night before and had the worst hangover now. I couldn't even remember half the shit that happened last night.

I sighed and looked down at where I currently was. I was sleeping under the comforter, something I never did. I always slept over it with my own blankets so Bella and I could keep our distance.

I lifted up the blanket and looked down at my body when I felt only skin against the warm blanket.

_Shit, I was fucking naked as the day I was fucking born._

I considered that maybe I was so drunk last night that Emmett had taken it upon himself to take off my clothes and play some stupid joke on me while everyone else—including Bella—laughed.

_Well, where the hell was Bella then?_

I felt movement beside me and quickly glanced over to my side and saw Bella's sleeping form stir slightly before she stilled and her even breathing continued. Her back was to me, but I realized she wasn't wearing a shirt. Her back was bare.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion as I tried processing everything. Slowly, I lifted the blanket and looked at Bella's body underneath.

Shit, she was naked too.

Okay, so I was in bed with Bella and we were both naked.

In bed.

Naked.

Me.

And Bella.

Together.

Naked. _Together._

Then it all fucking came back to me like a movie playing in slow motion in my head.

Bella and I had sex last night.

Correction. Bella and I had _drunken _sex last night.

I was waking up next to Bella—naked—after a night of drunken sex.

And the worst part was…

…I couldn't even deny how much I fucking loved it.

And how much I wanted to do it again.

And again and again.

* * *

**Author's Note: ****So you guys have a choice to make: do you want to read the engagement party from Bella's drunken point of view at the beginning of next chapter and then have me move on to what's going to happen next—sans the lemony goodness since that would be extremely redundant; I'm sure we all know how Bella felt during that lol—or would you rather I just skip right to what's going to happen next? I'll take majority vote, so let me know! And don't forget to share your thoughts on this chapter! Can't wait to hear from you guys :) Thanks for reading!**


	7. Games

_**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**_

**Author's Note: So last chapter was pretty fun and yummy. ;) Hope you all liked my lemony surprise. Alright so most of you wanted to skip ahead to what's next, while a select few wanted Bella's POV from the party. I myself do not like repeating scenes, so I created a compromise: the engagement party is going to be a tiny flashback in this chapter and then I am moving along from there. Hope this satisfies everyone! Enjoy!**

* * *

_**Bella POV**_

I groaned as the morning light shined on my face and turned slightly toward the window, wondering who had opened the curtains. I looked out on the balcony and saw a blanket draped over somebody lying on the patio chairs, but I couldn't make out who it was. I looked beside me on the bed and noticed Edward wasn't sleeping where he usually did.

_Shit, I had a fucking headache._

I grabbed onto my head and rubbed my scalp gently before wincing and climbing out of bed.

_Oh. My. God._

I looked down at my body—at my _naked _body—and gasped. Quickly, I grabbed the bathrobe hanging on one of the dressers and slipped it on, tying the knot extremely tight before tip toeing to the bathroom. I was pretty sure that Edward was the one out there and I didn't want him to walk in on a compromising situation; especially when I needed to figure out what the hell happened last night.

Safe inside the sanctuary of the bathroom, I locked the door and leaned on the porcelain white counters, rubbing my temples and closing my eyes as I thought back to the previous night…

"_Bella!"_

_I turned around and sighed as Rosalie tried for the millionth time to shove a shot of vodka in my face. I told her I just wasn't feeling it tonight, but she wouldn't leave me alone._

"_Rose, I told you. I don't want to drink," I insisted, growing increasingly frustrated at her antics._

"_You owe me," she said coldly, raising one eyebrow._

_I looked at her confused. "For what?" I demanded defensively._

"_For keeping yours and Edward's dirty little secret?" she warned, her voice dropping low enough so only I could hear._

_Black mail. Nice._

"_Ugh, fine!" I finally conceded, grabbing the small shot glass from her and quickly downing the contents. The drink stung as it made its way down my throat and into my stomach. I looked at her grinning face and raised my eyebrows. "Happy?"_

"_Very," she replied with a huge smile._

_And the rest of the night proceeded as such. Rose kept coming to me, wanting me to be her drinking partner, and pulling the whole 'don't forget I know' tactic to get me to agree. After downing what must have been my third or fourth shot, I knew enough was enough. I was already somewhat of a lightweight when it came to drinking and I knew I was going to get drunk. There was no denying it now._

_I finally found Alice and sought refuge with her and her friends. I tried not to talk because I didn't want to make an idiot of myself, but they were all pretty tipsy as well so it was hard not to join in on the conversation._

"_So, Bella, where's Edward?" one of the girls asked me after Alice excused herself to go find Jasper._

_I turned to her and shrugged. "I.D.K.," I slurred, swaying slightly. I was trashed. Why else would I be using text message acronyms?_

"_You're lucky you have such a handsome husband," the other one—Emily was it?—chimed in._

_I looked at her and my eyes widened for some unexplainable reason. "Really?" I asked disbelievingly. I wasn't sure why this information was so interesting to me, but then I realized it probably had something to with the current state I was in._

_She nodded and smiled. "Yea, you two are great together. You're, like, the hottest couple I know," she said excitedly._

"_Wow," I whispered, looking down at the ground in awe. Maybe it was the alcohol, but what she said felt really nice to hear. _

_Edward and I were good together?_

"_Look, there he is now," the first girl—Heidi—said, looking behind me toward the stairs._

_I turned around and sure enough there was my gorgeous husband about to begin his ascent up the stairs. _

_I should probably keep him company._

"_Edward!" I suddenly called, unable to stop myself. He stopped and turned around, his lips turning up into a small smile. I looked back at the girls and saw that they were all smiling mischievously at me. I said a quick farewell before practically running to Edward. "My husband!" I announced proudly, because if I was being honest, Emily was right—I really was lucky to have such a good looking man._

_I didn't register much of what he said, but I knew he was just as drunk as me—if not more. He was going upstairs alone and for some _unexplainable _reason, I could not let that happen. So I went with him…_

"Oh. My. God," I repeated for the second time that morning. I put one hand over my mouth and turned around so I could look at myself in the mirror. I looked like complete crap and—if I was being honest with myself—I looked thoroughly fucked as well.

I blushed as the memories of last night came flooding back to me piece by piece. Edward and I in the room. On the bed. The way I took control. The way he thrust himself in and out of me. We were so completely trashed and gone, yet there at the same time. Together.

I could not believe I had just had drunken sex with my soon-to-be ex husband. Just then a thought occurred to me. How was it that Edward and I were both drunk? And why was Rosalie constantly throwing drinks in my face all night?

_Because Emmett and Rosalie had set us up._

I couldn't believe it.

I took a few deep breaths in and out before finally opening the door slowly and peeking outside. Edward seemed to still be sitting on the balcony, so I quietly and slowly crept to the bedroom door and without a backward glance, stepped out into the hallway, closing the door minutely behind me. It was still fairly early so I figured everyone would still be asleep, seeing as the party had probably gone on all night.

I made my way slowly down the stairs and turned the corner to go into the kitchen. My annoyance and frustration only peaked when I saw that Rosalie was sitting on one of the barstools, casually flipping through a magazine on the counter and sipping her coffee. I put on my best pissed off glare before strutting right up to her and crossing my arms, sighing loudly to get her attention.

She glanced up at me from the page she was reading and smiled dismissively. "Morning, doll," she said casually, looking back down at the page again and taking another drink of her coffee.

"_Morning, doll_?" I repeated incredulously. "Is that really all you have for me?"

She looked up at me, seeming a bit surprised at my tone, before her face suddenly brightened up and she reached for her purse on the counter. "Oh! You're right, I do have something else for you," she said as she dug around her purse before finally producing a small, white box. She smiled down at it and handed it to me.

I glared at her then looked down at the box in her hands, confused, before my mouth fell open in shock and I looked back up at her. "What the hell is this?" I asked her in disbelief.

She simply shrugged and replied nonchalantly, "Plan B." She gave me a polite smile before putting the box on the counter and returning her attention back to the magazine. "Emmett and I weren't sure if you were still on the pill since…well, you know." She waved her hand dismissively before continuing, "And we knew you were both going to be _way_ too trashed last night to use any real protection…therefore…" she looked up at me and smiled cheekily,"…Plan B."

I wasn't sure whether I should be touched by her thoughtfulness or throw a fit for her interference. It was one thing to actually initiate two people having drunken sex, but it was a whole other thing to give them emergency contraception the next morning.

"How _dare_ you?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes at her. "And for your and Emmett's information, I _am_ still on the pill. So you know what, Rosalie? You can take that Plan B bullshit, and shove it up your _ass_!" And with that I turned around and stormed out of the kitchen and toward the stairs.

"Should I just keep it for next time then?" she called from the kitchen, sounding sincere, though I knew she was mocking me.

I stopped dead in my tracks and shut my eyes tightly, fighting the urge to go back in there and blow up at her for devising a plan for Edward and I to sleep together and then having the _audacity_ to poke fun at it the next morning and feel no shame whatsoever.

"Hey, B," Emmett's voice said happily. I opened my eyes and saw that he was standing at the top of the stairs with his arms crossed, looking mighty proud of himself. How could these two have the nerve to act peachy keen when clearly they had crossed a line last night?

"Shut up, Emmett," I grumbled, shoving past him and walking toward mine and Edward's room.

"Why so uptight, B? You should be in full post-coital bliss right now," he teased.

I shook my head and walked into the room, slamming the door shut behind me, not caring who I woke up anymore. I was practically fuming with anger. Those two were _incorrigible_.

Sighing, I rubbed my eyes and sat on the still unmade bed, putting my head in my hands and wondering what the hell to do now.

"Bella?"

My head snapped up in the direction of Edward's voice. He was standing in the doorway of the bathroom wearing black pants and a grey t-shirt. His hair was wet and I realized he must have taken a shower while I was downstairs.

"H-Hey," I stuttered nervously, fidgeting with my hands in my lap.

"I think we need to, um, talk," he said, almost shyly, looking everywhere but at me.

"About what?" I shrugged, forcing a light laugh in an attempt to lighten the mood.

He looked up at me and sighed before shaking his head and walking over to sit on the bed next to me at a safe enough distance so that we weren't touching.

"About last night," he said softly, looking down at his own hands.

"Oh," was my brilliant response.

An awkward silence settled over us for several minutes before he finally cleared his throat and began, "I know we were both pretty trashed. And…while I was in the shower I kind of got to thinking that it was probably Rosalie and Emmett's plan from the start. It just has their names written all over it, you know?" he said, looking up at me.

I nodded. "Yea. It was them. Rose actually had the nerve to go out and get me morning after pills." I laughed humorlessly at the memory and shook my head in an attempt to rid myself of the anger and frustration I was currently feeling.

"Did you take them?" Edward asked me quietly.

I looked back up at him, but he didn't seem worried or nervous about the fact that we hadn't used protection last night. He seemed almost…hopeful. And I couldn't understand why.

"N-No," I said, shaking my head. "I'm still on the pill." He looked at me surprised and I knew he probably thought that had to mean I had slept with other men after him. "I told you, I haven't been with anyone else," I said, repeating my words from the other night. He simply nodded and looked back down.

I knew what he wanted to say. That this was all a huge mistake and how he wished he could take it all back. He would say that we were drunk and didn't know what we were doing. I'm sure he also wanted to make sure that I knew it was a one time thing and should never have happened in the first place. It was just taking him a long ass time to finally say it and I realized he probably didn't want to hurt my feelings.

"Let's just forget it ever happened," I said before he could beat me to it. At least this way I wasn't getting hurt in the process. "We had been drinking and one thing led to another. No one's to blame, but I think it's safe to say that it probably shouldn't have happened. Rose and Em are idiots," I finished quietly.

I didn't mean the words I said and I sure as hell couldn't bring myself to say that last night was a mistake no matter how much I wanted to—or how much I knew I should. I couldn't even deny that if the opportunity arose again, I would probably do it in a heartbeat. Because last night I felt things that only Edward had ever really made me feel.

Wanted. Desired.

Loved.

And it killed me that I was admitting this to myself. And it killed me even more that I knew Edward most likely regretted everything that occurred last night.

"Oh," he finally said after a few moments. He was looking down at the ground, his eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration before he nodded curtly and looked back up at me. "Yea, you're right. It was a mistake and it shouldn't have happened. Let's just pretend it didn't." I couldn't help but hear a hard tone in his voice when he spoke, but I quickly discarded it as frustration at the entire situation.

I pursed my lips and nodded, trying to keep a blank and confident mask in place. He sighed and got up from the bed and walked to the balcony to collect the blanket he had been using earlier. I watched him for a minute before getting off the bed and helping him make it. I told him I was going to take a shower and he just offered a curt response before leaving the room.

And then I was alone.

XxXxX

"Bellaaaa!" Alice drawled out dramatically as she hooked her arm with mine and practically dragged me to the boutique where we would be getting her and Jasper's 'save the date' cards. I wasn't sure why we _all_ had to come with her, but then again I was never sure why Alice did anything the way she did.

I sighed and rolled my eyes as I walked into the boutique behind her. The guys were walking behind us and Rosalie was in her own little world off to the side.

"Why are you so dead today, Bella?" Alice asked me curiously as she looked at a few choices laid out near the front.

"Oh, I think Bella's just worn out from last night," Emmett said with a huge ass grin. I heard Rose let out a very un-ladylike snort before covering her mouth and looking away. I glared at them both before turning my attention back to a very confused Alice.

"I'm fine. Just didn't get enough sleep last night," I said shortly.

"Got that right," I heard Rose mutter under her breath. I turned around again and gave her a hard, stone look as Alice and Jasper followed the sales lady to look at some other arrangements.

"Listen," I started, grabbing Rosalie roughly by the elbow and pulling her with me to where Edward and Emmett were standing. "You two need to shut the hell up right now, okay?" I said it low so no one would hear.

"Why, Bella, whatever are you talking about?" Rosalie asked innocently, batting her eyelashes mockingly like a little school girl.

"Rose," Edward warned in a threatening tone. We all looked his way when he spoke because he voice was gravely serious like I have never heard before.

"You know, for two people who got laid last night you're both awfully cranky," Emmett scowled, grabbing Rosalie's hand and walking over to some card arrangements on a shelf.

"Maybe he wasn't very good," I heard Rosalie mumble to Emmett before they both turned and looked at Edward and I with stupid matching grins on their faces.

I groaned and rolled my eyes before turning back to Edward. His face took me by surprise. He looked…almost angry. His eyes were set on something past me and he wasn't blinking.

"Um," I started nervously before Alice called my name and told me I wasn't being a very good maid of honor by not helping her. Edward's eyes shifted to mine and we stared at each other for a few seconds. His face remained like stone and he didn't even flinch or move as I hesitantly turned around—a bit flustered and taken aback by his attitude—and walked over to where Alice was standing looking at some card choices.

I spent the next two hours helping Alice pick out the perfect arrangements while the guys and Rosalie alternated between walking outside, going on coffee runs, or heading down to the music store next door. Finally, after filling in Alice's orders, the two of us walked down the street to the restaurant we were meeting everyone at for dinner.

It had gotten dark while we were in the boutique, and for a moment, I almost forget we were even in Seattle. I was imagining going to my apartment and having to get up early the next day for work. It was kind of nice to be free of all responsibilities for a few weeks—even though I had a shit load of other stresses on my mind that weren't going to disappear anytime soon. It made it a lot harder that Rosalie and Emmett were taking pleasure in all of the crap going on between Edward and me.

Alice put her arm around my shoulder as we enter the restaurant and smiled at me appreciatively. "Thank you for being my maid of honor, Bella. I know I can be kind of hard to put up with sometimes," she said apologetically.

I smiled and shook my head, wrapping my arm around her waist as we stopped in front of the hostess stand. "Alice, you are the way you are and that will never change," I said. Her face fell a little before I added, "And I wouldn't want it any other way." She looked up at me and smiled as we both hugged and then turned to the amused hostess who was watching our exchange with a sympathetic smile. We must have looked pretty adorable.

We gave her Jasper's name and she led us to a booth where Rosalie and the guys were seated. Alice slid in next to Jasper since he was on the outside. Edward was sitting on the outside across from them and stood up so I could slide in beside Rosalie—even though she was the last person I wanted to be near right now.

Thankfully conversation flowed in the direction of Alice and Jasper's upcoming wedding less than four weeks way. The restaurant had a bar attached so we all decided to order drinks. The night was going smoothly. Everyone was in easy conversation as we waited for our meal to arrive; it almost felt like the good old days.

And then Emmett had to ruin it.

"Hey, let's play a game while we're waiting on the food," he suggested after taking a long swig of beer.

"Good idea, Em!" Rosalie announced a little too over eagerly, looking pointedly at Edward and me with a bright smile. I glared in return and didn't have to look behind me at Edward to know he was probably doing the same.

"What game?" Alice asked excitedly as she took a sip of her margarita.

"Hmmm," Emmett pondered, stroking his chin though I knew he had something up his sleeve. He and Rosalie were devious planners so I knew something was going on. "Truth or dare," he stated with finality.

"Seriously, Em? Are we in high school?" Jasper asked him with a chuckle.

Emmett glared at him and Rosalie just rolled her eyes and smiled. "Afraid of what we may find out about you, Jazz?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow.

Jasper just narrowed his eyes at her and Alice giggled. "Come on, Jazz. Please," Alice insisted, showing him her puppy eyes.

Jasper looked down at her and smiled softly before kissing the tip of her nose gently. "Alright, sweetheart," he finally conceded.

I said a mental 'fuck' before looking at Rosalie and Emmett with death stares. I _knew _they were planning something.

"Okay, so Alice can go first since she is the bride to be," Rosalie said, smiling happily at Jasper and Alice.

"Oooh, yay!" Alice clapped her hands and sat up a little straighter as she looked at each one of us, trying to figure out who to pick on first. "Edward," she finally decided. I saw everyone look at Edward, but I just kept my eyes focused on my drink. "Truth or dare?" she asked him humorously.

I heard Edward sigh beside me and shift a little in his seat. "Truth, I guess," he answered uninterestedly.

"Boo, pussy!" Emmett laughed.

"Shut up, Emmett," Alice said sternly. I looked up at her, waiting for her question, praying it had nothing to do with me. "Where is the craziest place…that you and Bella have ever had sex?" she finished hurriedly, unable to control her smile.

"Alice!" I scolded.

"Seriously, Alice? You want to know that about your brother?" Edward asked her incredulously.

"She has a right to know whatever she wants to know, Edward," Rosalie said, looking at him with a smug smile.

I knew my face was about thirty shades of red as I gripped my drink in my hand and awaited his response. I tried sifting through all the places we had done it and could not come up with one that would be considered 'the craziest place' to ever have sex.

Wait a second…

Crap.

I remembered.

Edward cleared his throat uneasily and I looked up at him apprehensively. He glanced at me once before looking back up at Alice and sighing defeated. "Mom's flower garden at her and dad's house," he replied quietly, averting his gaze to his lap.

"Oh!" Emmett said, putting a hand over his mouth and laughing hysterically.

"Dude, are you serious right now?" Jasper asked, unable to hide his own laughter.

"That's disgusting, Edward," Alice said, smiling as she took another sip of her drink.

I ran a hand roughly over my face before looking up at all of their amused and laughing faces. "Okay, can we move on now?" I asked a little harsher than I had intended.

"Hey, you _cannot_ talk to me that way," Alice berated me playfully. "You _deflowered_ my mother's flower garden." She ended up laughing hysterically at her own play on words. Okay, she definitely needed to stop drinking.

"Your turn, Edward," Jasper said once everyone had calmed down.

Edward ended up daring Emmett to get the hostess' number by the end of the night to which Rosalie and Emmett glared daggers at him. I couldn't hold back a laugh at that one. Payback was a bitch after all.

But of course they weren't going to let it go that easily.

"Bella," Emmett started, amusement evident in his eyes. He and Rosalie had been whispering for a few minutes since it was Emmett's turn and I knew the two of them were up to no good.

"Yes, Emmett?" I answered with a reserved sigh. I was obviously not into this game and I wasn't even going to try and hide it.

"Truth or dare?' he asked me with a too serious expression on his face.

I went through the choice in my head for a few seconds. Not wanting to end up having to answer an embarrassing question like Edward had, I went with dare.

Emmett and Rosalie just smiled widely at one another before straightening up their expressions and looking back at me.

"I dare you…to kiss Edward on the lips," he said, still smiling hugely.

My mouth fell open a little bit and if it wouldn't have blown our cover, I would have thrown my drink on Emmett and stormed out of the restaurant.

"Um, Emmett, I don't think Alice would appreciate me kissing her brother in front of her," I answered nervously. I had become flustered and it was the best excuse I could come up with.

"Come on, Bella!" Alice cheered. I looked over at her, wishing Jasper had cut off her drink intake already. "You have to do it. It's a dare!" she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"If you don't…I'm going to make you chug down the entire pitcher of beer on the table," Emmett threatened with no traces of humor whatsoever.

I opened my mouth again and turned to face Edward. It would look suspicious if the two of us didn't share a kiss. I mean, we were married after all and Alice and Jasper thought we were still together and happy as ever. They knew we were two passionate people and if we didn't do it, they would think something was up.

Edward looked at me nervously, obviously not thinking I would actually go through with it or would want to, but I knew we had no choice. I leaned in a little and he looked at me questioningly, silently asking if I was alright with this so I just nodded curtly.

"And it has to be a real kiss. Not some quick peck on the lips," Rosalie added.

I shook my head at her, but kept my eyes focused on Edward's before glancing down at his lips and then back up at him. He was doing the same thing. His eyes dancing between my mouth and my eyes. I finally went in, pressing my lips to his firmly, realizing halfway through that this was the first time Edward and I had kissed since the morning of our anniversary when he had left to go to work. Even last night when we had slept together, I remembered his lips had never pressed against mine. Not once.

Overcome with the intense feeling of having his soft lips against mine after nearly three months, I became lost in the sensation, opening my mouth a little wider to allow his tongue entry. I moaned quietly and grabbed the back of his head to press him to me tighter, running my hand through his hair. His hands went to grip my sides and hold me in place as we continued kissing.

Then it hit me that we were in the middle of a restaurant, sitting with his family, and completely going at it. And—oh yea—the whole getting divorced thing was a factor in my stopping as well.

I finally pulled away, breathing very heavily as I straightened myself up and moved slightly away from him. He was breathing roughly as well and cleared his throat before straightening out his dress shirt and running a hand through his hair.

I looked up sheepishly at Alice and Jasper and saw they were sitting close to one another and looking at us with matching smiles, obviously touched by our display of affection. When I looked over at Emmett and Rosalie, however, I saw that their mouths were hanging wide open in shock as they glanced between Edward and me.

"Was that a real enough kiss for you, Rosalie?" I asked, hoping she caught the double meaning in my voice. She simply nodded, mouth still hanging open like a fish. "Emmett?" I prompted him expectantly. He nodded dumbly as well and I just laughed softly and sat back in my seat as the food arrived. Edward put his arm around the back of the booth so it was resting behind my head and the rest of dinner was spent with companionable conversation among everyone.

Finally, the night winded down and we all walked out and up the street to Emmett's waiting black hummer. Rosalie grabbed my arm as Jasper and Alice were sliding into the very backseat.

"That was some very good acting in there, Bella," Rosalie said with a smug smile.

I just shrugged and crossed my arms over my chest. "Yea, well, what can I say? Like riding a bike, right? You never really forget."

She opened her mouth to say something in return, but I smiled brightly and brushed past her before getting into the car. The drive home was uneventful as Alice passed out in Jasper's lap from all the drinks she had and Rosalie and Emmett were talking in hushed whispers up front.

When we got home, Edward and Jasper carried Alice to their room as the rest of us said our 'goodnights' and headed out separate ways. I was just finishing rinsing out my mouth in the bathroom when Edward walked into the bedroom and began unbuttoning his shirt to change into his pajamas. I had already changed into mine so I offered him the bathroom as I climbed into bed and grabbed one of my old books, snuggling under the covers and flipping to the page I had left off on.

Edward emerged from the bathroom a little while later dressed in his plaid pajama bottoms and white t-shirt. He climbed into bed beside me and got under the covers—something he never did. He usually had blankets that he slept with because we didn't think it would be a very good idea to sleep under the same comforter.

"Shit," he mumbled, having realized the same thing I had. "The blankets are in the dryer. Crap, I'll be right back," he said sleepily.

He began climbing out of bed, but I grabbed his arm to stop him. He looked at me confused and I just shook my head. "It's fine. You seem tired. Just stay on your side and it won't be a problem," I said softly.

He nodded and slowly climbed back under the covers, sighing contentedly and laying on his back as he closed his eyes and I turned back to my book. "What are you reading?" he asked me tiredly.

I glanced at him and saw that his eyes were still closed. "Um…_Wuthering Heights_?" For some reason it came out sounding like a question.

He chuckled softly and shook his head. "Of course you are." He smiled softly as if he was remembering something from the past. "You could never put that down," he said, his voice sounding distant like he was lost in another world.

I laughed lightly and nodded even though he couldn't seem me. "Yea. It's just a classic, I guess," I said softly as I looked back at my book.

"Less than four more weeks to go," he said after a few minutes of silence had passed. I looked at him confused and saw that his eyes were open and he was now watching me. "Until the wedding, I mean. How do you think we should tell them?"

"I..." I started, not sure what to say and wondering why the hell he was bringing it up now. "I don't know, Edward," I replied quietly. "However we do it, it's going to end up hurting them so does it really matter?"

He sat up on his elbow and looked at me incredulously. "Of course it matters," he said harshly. I was taken aback by this sudden anger. It was just like this morning when he had been cold with everyone. "It matters to me. And I'm sure it matters to them."

"What is with you?" I asked, shaking my head. "You've been upset about something all day, I can tell."

"Oh yea, because you know me so well," he spat back unsympathetically.

I just stared at him after he said that, unable to formulate a good enough response. My mouth was open slightly and I looked down at my book, opening it back up to the correct page and trying to concentrate on the words and not the man sitting beside me still staring at me expectantly.

"I guess I don't," I answered softly, my eyes frozen on the age, not really seeing any text written there.

He sighed, defeated, and lay back down on the bed. I shook my head and sat up, resting on my elbow and mirroring his position from a few seconds ago. "What did you feel when we kissed?" I blurted out, not really sure where that question had come from. It just felt like we were dancing around all the topics surrounding us and I desperately needed some answers.

He opened his eyes and looked up at me. "What do you mean, 'what did I feel'?" he asked bemused.

"I mean what I said. What did you feel?" I repeated.

He sat up on his elbow and mirrored my position as his eyes darted to my lips and then up to my face. For a second, I thought he was going to kiss me again. "What did _you_ feel, Bella?" he asked, throwing the question right back in my face and completely catching me off guard.

I opened my mouth and stared at him disbelievingly. "You answer first. I just want to know if—"

"If what?" he interrupted. "If I felt something? Why the hell does it matter? Last night was a mistake right?" I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, wondering where the hell _that_ came from. "You said yourself last night never should have happened. Maybe that's exactly how I feel about that kiss. That it never should have happened," he answered harshly.

"What? Wh-Where did that come from?" I stuttered, shaking my head and trying to make sense of everything he was saying.

"Bella—" he started, but was interrupted by a rapt knock on the door.

"It's me!" Alice's voice flitted in from the other side. "Just wanted to come say goodnight! Can I come in?"

I sighed and lay down on the bed close to Edward and he wrapped his arm around me as we told Alice to come in.

"Awww," she said happily at the sight of the two of us spooning. "You guys are so cute. Just wanted to say goodnight. I love you guys," she said, smiling brightly as she kissed both mine and Edward's cheeks.

"Night, Ali," Edward said, smiling sincerely at his little sister. She blew us a kiss before leaving and closing the door behind her.

Neither of us made a move to change our positions after she left. My back was still against Edward's chest and his arm was still wrapped around me.

"Are you going to answer my question?" I finally asked him, picking up our conversation where it left off.

"No," he answered quickly and stubbornly.

"Are you going to let go then," I answered, a bit frustrated.

"Yes," he replied, but made no move to loosen his grip on me.

I sighed, annoyed that he was giving me a hard time. "Now?" I prompted.

He let out a small chuckle before finally letting go and lying on his back again. I turned over and looked at him expectantly. "Edward?"

"I don't want to talk right now, Bella, please," he said, his playful banter from just seconds ago completely gone. "Goodnight," he said softly before turning over and facing away from me.

I wasn't sure what was going on with his weird mood, but something seemed to be really bothering him and it was frustrating that I couldn't understand what it was or what had happened to make him behave so strangely.

I thought it had to be that kiss from earlier, but then I remembered he had been acting strange since our talk this morning. I wondered what set him off. It was weird how he suddenly brought up how I had said last night was a mistake. I wasn't sure where that had come from or how it played a part in any of this since he, himself, had agreed that it should never have happened.

I sighed and turned off the bedside lamp before cuddling under the covers and staring up at the dark ceiling. I wasn't going to lie—that kiss earlier took my breath away and Edward seemed just as into it. I wasn't sure what had made me so bold as to actually come right out and ask him what he felt, but I was at least expecting some response from him. Instead he got defensive and brought up last night and then just shut me out.

It felt like things were changing—for better or for worse I couldn't tell—but things were definitely changing. For me at least. And I needed to know if they were changing for him as well. Because right now it felt like we were doing things—like sleeping together and kissing each other—and then we would just shut down and bury everything away to be dealt with…never. I was guilty of trying to hide away from them myself for fear of getting hurt, but tonight something in me snapped. When he kissed me…something inside me shifted.

I didn't want to skirt around these topics anymore. I wanted to tell him exactly what I felt. Exactly what he did to me. I didn't want to have to pretend or lie because I was simply unsure. But I needed to know that he wanted those things too. And right now he didn't seem to want to talk about any of it. So I would let it go. For now. But I wasn't sure how much longer I could just sit in the dark and ignore all of my feelings. I knew eventually it would become too much and I would just snap.

I had been doing a pretty good job thus far of convincing myself that I could really hate Edward for the next four weeks. But things were changing. And now I knew I was wrong. I was very, very wrong.

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**Author's Note: ****Hope you all liked Emmett and Rosalie's fun interferences in this chapter! More to come! So this was kind of an uneventful chapter? Maybe? What did you guys think?**


	8. Falling Into History

_**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**_

**Author's Note:Thanks so much to each and every person who reads and reviews. I'm sorry I don't take the time to reply to every single one, but it is more difficult on here for me for some reason. But I love and adore each one. Visit us on the Twilighted forums. I have never posted teasers so I don't know if I will be very good at it, but I may try soon! Hope you all like this chapter! Enjoy!**

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**_Edward POV_**

That kiss just fucking killed me.

I had these walls carefully set up so that she couldn't hurt me anymore. I didn't care what a pussy it made me sound like, but I was sick and tired of Bella hurting me without even realizing it.

When she told me this morning that she thought last night was a mistake, what the hell was I supposed to say? I wasn't about to tell her how I really felt just to make things even _more _awkward than they already were. I decided I would just go along with it. I figured if I agreed—if I made her believe I thought it never should have happened—then eventually Iwould believe it myself.

Well, that blew up in my fucking face.

I was doing a really good job of pretending before that kiss happened. I wanted to both strangle and hug Rosalie and Emmett for giving me that opportunity. When our lips met, everything else in the room just stopped and we were Bella and Edward again. The ones we used to be before shit hit the fan. But then I had to get all evasive after it happened just so she would know I didn't expect anything more from it.

I fucked up though.

I let her see a crack in my wall by bringing up last night again and how she had said it was a mistake. I brought it up relatively out of nowhere and tried to digress before she noticed, but it was pretty fucking obvious. Then Alice—_thank God for her—_came in to say goodnight and saved me from that conversation.

But holding her in my arms, feeling her body against mine; it fit so perfectly. I wanted to stay that way. I held onto her as long as I could, but eventually I had to let go. I had to turn away before my walls came crumbling down. I didn't care if I sounded like a complete ass—she was making mefeel like shit so might as well bring her down with me.

Why the hell did she ask me what that kiss meant, though? What was I supposed to say? Was I supposed to tell her it meant everything to me? That for the first time in three months I felt whole? That I wanted to do it again? No, I couldn't say any of that shit because she would just go on and on about how I had hurt her over the years and that we didn't fit together anymore. I didn't want to face that. It was hard to lie; to really act like I didn't give two shits about her. But it was worth it if I didn't have to get hurt in the end.

I was lying on my back, staring up at the dark ceiling as Bella's even breathing filled the room. I glanced over at her and saw she was facing me for once. I smiled slightly at the sight of her. I loved watching her sleep. I used to do it all the time. I told Jasper once and he thought I was some sick creeper. But Bella said she liked it. She said it made her feel safe…and loved. I wished so badly I that I could just wrap my arms around her and pull her to me and make her feel that way again. I wished none of this had happened and we really were here, happily married, about to celebrate Alice and Jasper's wedding. I wanted things to be different. I wanted to know if she felt the things that I had been feeling and had just been hiding them like I had been.

With a heavy sigh, I rolled over onto my side and faced Bella. I didn't touch her. I didn't move closer to her. No. I just lay there…and watched her until sleep finally overtook me and I succumbed to the darkness.

XxXxX

"Edward! Bella!"

I groaned and rolled over, willing the noise to go away.

"Don't say I didn't warn you! I'm coming in!"

_Shit_. Alice.

Again.

I quickly sat up and looked down at Bella as she stirred and looked up at me with sleepy eyes. I mouthed 'Alice' to her and this quickly got her attention. Her eyes went wide and she swiftly scooted over toward me. I sighed and took a deep breath for another round of pain to come when I felt her in my arms again.

Instead of laying with her back to me like she had last night, she simply lay her head on my chest and put an arm around my torso as I put an arm around her and held one of her hands in mine. I looked down at her and she looked up at me and for a split second, I saw that familiar look she would always give me when we woke up in the mornings together. It was a look of adoration and I hadn't realized how much I had missed it until now.

There was no more time for contemplation, however, as Alice swung the door open and came barreling in. We both looked up at her and saw she was fully dressed and obviously had a lot of energy even though it was barely eight in the morning.

"Good morning, sleepy heads!" she chirped happily as she perched herself on the bed beside us.

"It's not even eight yet, Alice," Bella replied in a raspy morning voice as she rubbed her eyes and snuggled deeper into my chest. She must have liked the warmth there.

Alice just rolled her eyes, completely oblivious to the fact that I was holding my breath in an attempt to not completely burst with Bella being in such close proximity to me.

"Bella, you and Rose are coming with me today to try on your bridesmaid dresses! I need to make sure they fit!" Alice all but pouted. When Bella's eyes remained closed and she stayed firmly at my side, Alice shook her legs roughly. "Bella! Wake up, wake up, wake up! Molest my brother later!" That got her attention.

Bella's eyes quickly snapped open when she realized how close she really was to me, and she sat up straight and practically leaped out of bed, suddenly very awake.

"Sorry, Alice, you're right. I'm not being a very good maid of honor," she mumbled, turning three shades of red. Her eyes remained downcast as she walked to the bathroom. "Just let me shower and I'll be right down." She walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. After a few minutes, the shower turned on and I closed my eyes again and let out a sigh of relief. Having her that close to me was _not good_. It only reminded me of what I didn't have anymore and it hurt like hell.

"So you and Bella seem happy," Alice said. I could hear the smile in her voice.

I rubbed my eyes and opened them and sure enough she was smiling brightly at me. "Yea, things are good," I stated plainly, not wanting to have to give details that didn't exist.

She nodded. "I'll bet. You know, you should take her somewhere just the two of you. I know Jasper and I have been completely eating up your guys' time with wedding stuff, but you and Bella don't live here in Seattle. You should take her for a night on the town or something," she insisted, growing more excited with the idea as she continued speaking. "Jazz and I will even make reservations at an amazing restaurant for you guys! It'll be great!"

"Alice," I started softly, shaking my head. "You don't have too. We don't want to cause any inconveniences."

"Nonsense," she said, holding up her hand to stop my rebuttals. "Case is officially closed. Jasper and I will make reservations at that new restaurant that just opened. Ooooh, and there's going to be a concert in the park nearby! Jazz took me a couple times and, Edward, it was _so_ sweet!"

"Alice—"

"It's going to be great!" she interrupted, jumping up from the bed and clapping her hands excitedly. "Aw, she is going to think you are so romantic, Edward! I need to go make some phone calls." She practically hopped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

I just lay in bed for a while after she left, trying to relax and not think about how hard tonight was going to be. Maybe we could arrange to just go our separate ways and tell Alice and Jasper we went.

Fuck, the restaurant would probably call home when we didn't show up for our reservations. Well, shit, there was no way to talk ourselves out of this one. We had been doing a fairly good job of keeping our distance from one another—minus the amazing sex and make out—but to have to go spend a 'romantic' evening together? I didn't really see any way we could talk ourselves out of that one.

Let the pain begin.

Again.

XxXxX

"_What_?" Bella all but seethed as I told her of Alice's plans for us tonight.

We were currently in the bathroom. Bella was brushing her hair after she had changed into her outfit for the day, and I was brushing my teeth. I had the towel wrapped around my waist seeing as I had just taken a shower. Bella was originally going to wait until I was done in the bathroom, but Alice was rushing her. So here we were, taking part in a completely normal marital activity and we weren't even technically together anymore. But then why did it still feel so natural?

"Listen," I said as I spit out the last of the toothpaste from my mouth and rinsed with water before straightening up and placing my toothbrush in the cup beside hers. "We'll just go to whatever place they make reservations for us tonight and get it over with." I dried off my hair with a towel and noticed her eyes in the mirror were zeroed in on my chest. "See something you like?" I asked cockily when she didn't say anything for a few minutes.

Her eyes snapped up to mine and instead of blushing like I thought she would, her mouth turned up into a smirk. "I've seen better," she said as she brushed past me and went into the bedroom to put on her shoes.

I just stood there for a second, a little shocked at her boldness, before going to stand in the doorway of the bathroom. She was sitting on the bed tying her sneakers when she looked up at me and raised her eyebrows expectantly, probably waiting for me to make a smart ass rebuttal.

"Touché, Bella," I replied quietly, smiling slightly at her. She offered me a curt nod before sighing and hopping off the bed and out the room.

"Have fun trying on dresses all day, Bella," I called after her before she made it to the first step. I knew it was an activity she didn't relatively enjoy, so reminding her that she would be spending the better part of her day doing it was going to get to her.

She stopped and looked at me. Her mouth opened and closed a few times and I knew she was trying to think up a quick response. She finally smiled softly at me. "Touché, Edward," she said.

"Bella!" Alice's voice flitted upstairs. "We are burning daylight, my love!"

I chuckled at Alice's impatience and Bella rolled her eyes and hurried down the stairs. I walked out into the hallway and looked down at the foyer. The two of them were waiting for Rosalie to put on her shoes. Alice and Bella were the first to leave and I watched them go—hand in hand—and my heart swelled at the fact that Bella still fit into my family so perfectly.

Rosalie looked up at me just as she was about to walk out and smiled smugly. "See something you like, Edward?" she asked jokingly, gesturing to herself.

I just chuckled and shook my head. "I've seen better, Rose," I repeated Bella's earlier comment. Rosalie's face fell and she flipped me off before turning and slamming the door behind her.

"I've seen Bella," I murmured quietly to myself.

And I was completely taken aback by the truth in my own words. There was still something there between Bella and me; even if we were both trying desperately to ignore it. Why else would we have drunken sex? Obviously our subconscious minds were trying to tell us something, right? And that kiss. She pretty much admitted to feeling something after that kiss. Why else would she have brought it up?

I wasn't sure what was happening, but things were definitely not the same as they had been the first day we had arrived in Seattle. It was this bittersweet sensation—hot and cold. Amazing and horrible at the same time. While I enjoyed being near Bella so much, it still killed me that she hadn't trusted me. And even though I loved having little teasing spouts with her like we used to have, I felt like there was always an underlying anger deep within the both of us, threatening to escape if we were pushed far enough.

And then there were times when I would watch her sleep and want to wake her up and whisper nothing but loving words in her ear. To tell her she was the only one for me and that no matter what happened, we would always end up being together because the two of us just fit.

But at the same time, we had both put each other through so much shit that recovering seemed more painful than what we had already been put through. Still, I wasn't sure how much longer these feelings—these thoughts—could be pushed aside before they reached the surface. So much had happened in the short week that we had been here; I could only imagine what the next three weeks would entail. There was a fifty percent chance that things would take a turn for the better. But there was always that other fifty percent chance that things would take a turn for the fucking worse. And if I was being perfectly honest with myself, I wasn't quite sure which one it would end up being.

"Edward!" I was quickly brought out of my thoughts when Jasper appeared at the foyer below me. "Emmett and I are heading into town to try on the tuxes. You good to go?" he asked.

"Uh, y-yea. Sure," I stammered, still in somewhat of a haze after having reached a few stunning revelations in my head.

We spent the majority of the afternoon getting fitted for our tuxedos. I was Jasper's best man so I had to be a good sport and try not to stress him out too much. Of course Emmett's tux took a lot longer to fit since he was so fucking huge.

Jasper apologized multiple times for the whole pregnancy misunderstanding from the other day. He had never really got to talk to me about it and he was feeling unnecessary guilt. He told me how he thought Alice's idea for Bella and I to have a romantic evening was the perfect way for him to show his apologies. I didn't think it was such a positive thing.

We finally got back to the lake house by the time the sun was starting to set. I groaned out loud when I saw that Alice's Porsche was parked outside; that meant they were home already. I was hoping I would be able to prolong the inevitable a bit longer.

Emmett glanced at me from the passenger seat and smiled cheekily. "Why so gloomy, Edward?" he asked mockingly.

I glared at him and if Jasper hadn't been sitting in the car, I probably would have punched him in the fucking face. "Just miss my wife," I spat back, praying he would leave me the hell alone.

"Yea, you two sure are…_somethin_," he quipped, putting extra emphasis on the last word. I continued glaring at him as Jasper put the car into park and I practically ran out and up the front porch.

"He wasn't kidding about missing her," I heard Jasper chuckle as I yanked open the front door and slammed it shut behind me.

"Edward?" I heard Alice call me from upstairs.

I took a deep, calming breath before pinching the bridge of my nose and closing my eyes, trying to get control over my frustration. "Yea, Alice?" I answered a little harsher than intended.

"Go get ready! And close your eyes. I'm moving Bella to mine and Jasper's room to finish getting ready!"

I sighed, aggravated, but closed my eyes and waited. I heard faint footsteps upstairs as Alice shuffled Bella across the hall before closing the door.

"Okay, open," Alice instructed. I opened my eyes and saw her standing at the railing with a huge grin on her face. "Put on a nice dress shirt, tie, and dress pants. You have thirty minutes to get ready. Go." She turned around briskly and walked into the room to finish with Bella.

I shook my head and robotically climbed up the steps. I took a quick shower before drying myself off and putting on a pair of black fitted pants, a dark grey button up shirt, and a black tie. I ran my hand through my hair, but it was a lost cause. It would just go whichever direction it wanted to go in the end.

With a heavy sigh, I finally walked out of the room and went downstairs to wait for Bella. After putting on my shoes and shuffling my feet for about ten minutes, the bedroom door opened. I looked up just as Alice stepped out.

"You ready?" she asked with a bright smile on her face.

I returned her with a weak smile, trying to be enthusiastic, and nodded. Alice let out a sigh of relief and walked back into the bedroom. A few minutes later, she walked back out with Bella beside her. And for a second, I forget to breathe.

Bella looked absolutely beautiful. She was wearing a simple black dress that fit to her curves perfectly and ended just above her knees. And her heels—shit—they were sexier than the red heels she had been wearing at the engagement party. They were black and had zebra print on the front where they were peep toe. I could see her toenails were painted a dark red and that just made the outfit even sexier than it already was—if that was even a possibility.

I was so caught up in checking Bella out, that I didn't come to until I heard Alice's quiet giggle. I finally looked up and saw that Bella was now standing in front of me and Alice was standing on the last step behind her, watching us with amusement in her eyes.

"You look beautiful, love," I whispered. I couldn't even lie to myself and say that I only said it because Alice was witnessing. I said it because…I meant it.

"You too," Bella replied quickly, and then blushed and bit her lip when she realized what she said. "I mean…you look…um…you look very handsome," she stammered quietly.

"You guys are acting like two awkward teenagers going on their first date," Alice laughed.

_No. But it was pretty damn close._

"Um…shall we?" I asked hesitantly, holding my hand out for her, wondering if she would take it. She did.

"Oh, Edward!" Alice suddenly called after us. I looked at her—forgetting she was even there because my mind was so focused on Bella—and saw her hand Bella a piece of paper. "The directions to the restaurant. It's new and Jazz and I think you'll love it. We already called and made reservations and it's on Jasper's credit card so don't worry about that."

"Alice—" I started to argue.

"No, Edward." She held up her hand for me to stop. "This is mine and Jasper's treat to you guys. Don't ruin it."

"Really, Alice, it wouldn't feel right," Bella agreed, looking at Alice uneasily.

"Bella, you have been running around with me helping with wedding stuff all week. You agreed to be my maid of honor even though it's a hell of a lot of work. _And _we made both you and Edward fly out here for four weeks and take time off work for us. We _want _to do this. So please? Enjoy?" she said pleadingly with an encouraging smile.

I finally sighed and nodded and Bella just shook her head and kissed Alice's cheek. We said our goodbyes before leading Bella out to Jasper's car. He was lending it out to us for the night—as if they hadn't already done enough for us.

I opened Bella's door for her and helped her in since Alice was probably still watching through the window—and if I was being honest, I just really wanted to.

"Alice," Bella sighed, shaking her head as I got into the driver's seat and started the engine.

"I know. But when Alice's sets her mind on something…"

"…there's no stopping the hurricane," she finished for me.

I nodded and chuckled before pulling away from the house and driving down the long winding, dirt driveway before I finally got to the main road. Bella remained relatively silent through out the ride so I didn't try to start any conversation for fear it would be awkward. She only talked when we got into the busy part of town and I asked her for directions.

It didn't take long until we were in front of the Italian restaurant. It was definitely a sight; I'd give Alice and Jasper that. I parked in front of the restaurant and helped Bella out before giving the keys to the valet and walking with Bella to the entrance. We didn't hold

hands or touch. We simply walked at a safe distance into the restaurant and to the hostess stand.

The hostess looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old with curly blonde hair. She still had braces and when she saw us walking in, her eyes zeroed in on me and she began twirling her hair.

"Oh boy," I heard Bella mutter under her breath. But I didn't acknowledge it. I didn't want her to think I was actually falling for this girl's flirtation—my indifference about it was partly what ruined our marriage in the first place.

"Good evening, sir," the hostess greeted us, looking only at me. "Table for two?" she asked.

I nodded and offered a polite smile, but it only made her smile grow wider. "We have reservations. I think they're under Edward Cullen?" I said, unsure which name Alice had used.

She nodded and looked in the reservation book sitting on the podium. I saw Bella shiver from the corner of my eye and I looked down at her. She had on a fleece button down coat, but even I thought it was a bit chilly in here. I looked toward the back of the restaurant and saw there was a fireplace by a few tables near the windows.

"And could we also have a seat by the fireplace, please?" I asked, turning back to the hostess. "My wife is a little cold."

The girl's smile instantly faded and she looked over at Bella before sighing dejectedly and nodding before writing something down and grabbing two menus.

"Right this way," she said, plastering a fake smile on her face.

I glanced down at Bella and saw she was looking at me curiously. It was probably in reaction to what I had said. I wasn't going to lie—it felt good to address Bella as my wife in public again and when I said it, it came out completely lovingly and adoringly and I knew she sensed it in my tone; that's probably why she was looking at me.

I kept my hand on the small of Bella's back as we followed the hostess to a table for two rights beside the fireplace. I thanked her and she nodded curtly—avoiding my eyes now—and putting our menus on the table.

"You're server will be right with you," she said in a bored tone before turning on her heel and practically stomping away.

Bella and I remained silent as we both opened our menus and peered at our options. I smiled when I saw they had her favorite—it was something she would get at every Italian restaurant we ever went to.

"Are you getting the mushroom ravioli?" I asked her, looking up from my menu after deciding what I wanted.

She looked up at me a little surprised. "How did you know?"

I chuckled. "It's what you always get, Bella."

"Well I'm happy I can be so predictable," she laughed humorlessly, looking back down at her menu.

"On the contrary, Bella, you're anything but predictable," I said in a low voice.

She looked up at me again and studied my expression. I stared right back at her unabashedly, committing everything about her face to memory because if I was being honest with myself, I wasn't sure how many more chances like this I would get with her. I looked away from her when the waiter came to take our drink orders. I looked at Bella expectantly when I ordered mine and saw she was still staring at me. She finally noticed that both I and the waiter were waiting and she snapped out of whatever haze she was in and ordered a coke.

Dinner was quiet. Very quiet. Bella and I didn't talk as we waited for our food to arrive. The only words spoken were when the pianist in the corner began playing one of Bella's favorite songs. After that, nothing else was said.

A female waitress returned with our food and I didn't miss her not so subtle attempt at flirting with me. I know it sounded arrogant, but it's not like I was making this all up in my head. I didn't want them coming on to me. That was actually the last thing I wanted. The only person I ever wanted to get that type of attention from was from the woman sitting across from me. And that seemed like an impossibility.

I made sure not to react or say anything to the waitress. I realized that my polite smiles and nods of acknowledgement didn't give them the hint that I wasn't interested. Once I actually paid attention to what I was doing and to the girls' reactions, I realized that these simple mannerisms were actually spurring them on. It was like they thought I was using a secret code so that my wife wouldn't know that I was flirting right back. If only they knew their efforts were being completely wasted on me.

We left after we finished eating and the waiter reminded us that Jasper Whitlock would be paying for our meal. I thanked him and left a generous tip for their service before helping Bella back into her coat and following her outside.

We stood awkwardly side by side on the sidewalk as we waited for the valet to bring our car around. I was disappointed when the young man working the valet held the door open for Bella because I wanted to do that. I sighed agitatedly and shoved a tip in the valet's hands before getting into the car and heading back on the main road.

"We don't have to go to the concert in the park, Bella. We can just go home," I said, remembering how Alice had timed dinner so that the concert would start a half hour later. The park was only a few minutes away from the restaurant.

I glanced at Bella and saw her contemplating before sighing and shaking her head. "No, we have to. Alice will wonder why we're home so early. We can just go check it out. I like classical music," she said, turning to me with a small smile.

I gave her my crooked one in return and nodded. "Me too."

We spent the rest of the ride to the park in silence. She didn't wait for me to help her get out of the car once we parked and that was kind of disappointing, but I decided to let it go. We walked side by side down the wide concrete pathway that separated the park into two sections. The grass was green and there were numerous trees surrounding us. People were having picnics in the grass even though it was dark and really cold. Bella wrapped her arms tighter around herself and I wished at that moment that I could just wrap my arm around her like I used to and hold her close to me.

We finally spotted the stage where a crowd was already forming on the grass. We walked towards it as the band began playing a slow-beat song. Some couples in the crowd were swaying side by side; others were simply holding each other.

Bella and I stood on the side and watched, just enjoying the music. A couple—close to our age—came and stood near us. I looked over at them and saw that the wife was pregnant and the father was holding a small girls' hand—she was maybe four or five.

"Daddy!" the little girl called, yanking on her father's hand. "Daddy, put me on your shoulders so I can see!"

Her father chuckled, obviously adoring his daughter, and helped her climb on top of her shoulders. The wife smiled at him in a loving way and kissed him on the lips as one of his hands trailed down to caress her round belly.

I felt my heart constrict at the thought that that should have been Bella and me right now. Me with our daughter on my shoulders, her carrying our child. The thought that that would never happened killed me. It was like the night when Alice thought Bella and I were having a baby. How I wished that was the case. How I wished we had a family—that we were happy. That none of this cluster-fuck had ever happened.

I tore my eyes away from the happy couple, unable to handle the self-inflicted pain any longer, and looked instead at Bella. That was a huge mistake. She was staring at the couple too. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears and they seemed a million years away as she watched the family interact with one another. I wondered if she was thinking the same thing I was thinking. That that should have been us. It should _still_ be us.

My questions were answered when she finally met my gaze. I could see it in her eyes—she was thinking it too and she knew I knew. I opened my mouth to say something—I wasn't sure what—just something to break us out of this holding pattern. This holding pattern of never addressing our problems. Of letting each day pass by and ignoring everything that was changing between us. But I was interrupted by a voice I never thought I would hear again.

"Edward?"

Bella and I both tore our eyes away from each other and looked behind us. Jessica Stanley was standing there, smiling widely at me, holding a taller, blonde man's hand. I recognized him immediately.

"Jessica? Mike?" I asked, not believing that they were both here. Together.

Jessica nodded a bit too enthusiastically and began absentmindedly twirling her hair, much like she used to when we were in high school. It never ceased to annoy me.

"Oh my God! I cannot believe it! Small world! Do you live in Seattle?" Jessica asked curiously, not letting Mike get a word in edgewise.

"Uh, n-no," I stammered. They hadn't even seemed to notice Bella was right beside me. Okay, scratch that. _Jessica _didn't even seem to notice Bella was right beside me.

I glared at Mike when I saw him looking at Bella from head to toe and decided to put my arm around her shoulders, holding her close to me. She didn't hesitate to lean into me since we both knew Mike Newton was a creep who always had a thing for her.

"Oh, Bella, hi! I didn't even see you there!" Jessica said in that fake friendly voice of hers.

Nice to see some things never change.

"Of course you didn't," Bella bit back sarcastically. I held back a laugh as Jessica's face fell a little and she looked at mine and Bella's proximity.

"Oh my gosh," she breathed. "Are you two…together?" she asked, pointing between Bella and me.

"Three years," I answered immediately, squeezing Bella a little tighter.

"Wow," Jessica said, as if it was the most shocking piece of information she had ever heard. "Who would have thought? Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. High school sweethearts till the end," she mused, smiling wistfully.

"You better believe it, _babe_," Bella spat back, trying to sound nice, but failing miserably.

"Cullen, what are you doing nowadays?" Mike finally spoke up.

"I work at a law firm in New York. Bella's a writer for a magazine there," I replied proudly.

He nodded. "So what brings you two to Seattle?"

"It's Alice and Jasper's wedding," Bella said. I was happy she was aiding me with this conversation. They were both pretty obnoxious in high school and it seemed to still be the case now. The sooner we could get rid of them, the better. For the first time in three months…we were on the same side.

"That's unbelievable!" Jessica exclaimed a little too excitedly. "Alice and Jasper. Bella and Edward. It's crazy," she said, shaking her head at the facts presented.

"You and Mike tie the knot?" Bella asked in a bored tone of voice. I actually chuckled that time.

"Yes," Jessica responded, putting her arms around Mike's waist. "Happily for five years now. Tonight is our anniversary. He took me to this fancy restaurant for dinner and then here to listen to some classical music." She smiled up at him and he smiled back, kissing her forehead. They genuinely seemed like they were in love; happy.

"Any kids yet?" Mike asked us as Jessica stared up at him adoringly.

"No not _yet_," Bella replied before I could, putting extra emphasis on the last word and making it sound like it was a possibility in the future. My heart sank at the realization that it wasn't. "You?" she asked.

Mike nodded. "Two, actually. One's a month old, the other just started pre-school last week," he responded like a proud father. It shocked the hell out of me that Mike Newton was a father. "Jessica just started working at the hospital as a registered nurse and I'm so busy teaching ninth grade biology, it's nice for the little one to have somewhere to go during the day," he chuckled.

"Wow, congratulations," I offered as enthusiastically as I could.

"Well it was nice seeing you too again," Jessica said, smiling widely at us. "Tell Alice and Jasper congrats."

I nodded. "Sure thing, Jess."

"Later, man," Mike said, shaking my hand. "Bye, Bella."

I looked down at her and she just offered him a small smile.

"Bye, Bells!" Jessica beamed, leaning in and hugging her before taking Mike's hand and leading him to a food cart.

We stood there for a few minutes after they left, not moving from our positions. Finally, after a while of just standing there holding each other and listening to the smooth classical music coming from the stage, Bella pulled away.

"Can we go home?" she asked quietly.

I nodded. Nothing else was said as we walked silently to the car and pulled out of the parking lot. I took the steep, dirt gravel driveway up to the lake house and looked at the clock on the dashboard. A quarter to midnight.

Bella didn't wait for me to open the door for her again and the two of us walked side by side up the front porch and into the house. Carlisle had left it unlocked for us. Bella started straight for the stairs and I closed the door softly behind us, watching her with my eyebrows furrowed in confusion, wondering why she was suddenly so quiet.

I walked up the steps slowly and went into our bedroom, closing the door behind me. I changed into my pajamas while Bella was in the bathroom. When she came out, I went in and brushed my teeth. It had become our nightly routine, but tonight I sensed something was off.

I sighed and turned off the bathroom light before walking back into the bedroom and over to the bed. We had agreed that we could both sleep under the comforter as long as we kept our distance. So I climbed into my side and turned off my lamp. Bella's was already turned off, which was strange for her. She usually read for a little while before she went to sleep.

I decided I would just take the leap and ask her what was bothering her. Things were already awkward enough between us without the added tension. I figured the worst she could do is not answer me. It wasn't a hard decision to make.

"Bella?" I asked into the darkness. I was lying on my back, looking over at her. She was lying on her back as well, only she was staring up at the ceiling. My eyes were adjusting to the darkness and I could see nothing but emptiness in her eyes.

"Hmmm?" she finally replied after a few minutes.

"Are you alright?"

There was silence. It lasted a long time. I didn't want to break it for fear of pushing her over the edge so I just took it that she didn't want to talk about it. I sighed and turned my head to look up at the dark ceiling as well.

"Their life really came together," Bella finally murmured, almost to herself.

I looked over at her again. "What?"

"Mike and Jessica," she replied, not missing a beat. "Their life really came together. Kids, great careers, a happy marriage. Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley. The two people you would least expect. He couldn't even stand her in high school," she finished quietly. I wasn't sure what to say to her. I wasn't sure why she even brought it up.

"Bella…I don't understand," I replied dumbly.

She looked over at me thoughtfully. "Me either. I don't understand," she said dejectedly. She spoke so softly I had to strain to hear her. She sighed and rolled over onto her side, facing away from me. "Goodnight, Edward."

"Night, Bella," I whispered.

I was still in a haze from what she had said. I didn't get it. What did she mean 'I don't understand.' When I said it, it was because I really didn't understand what she was talking about. But she said it so vaguely, like I should get the underlying meaning. But I didn't.

I rubbed a hand across my face in confusion and frustration before turning over onto my side facing away from Bella. I closed my eyes and willed sleep to overtake me. I was teetering off the edge of unconsciousness when Bella's words began replaying in my head.

_Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley. The two people you would least expect. I don't understand._

Then I got it. She didn't understand how two people like Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley—two people that were on and off through out high school; who hated each other every other week—ended up happily married with a wonderful life and family.

While me and Bella—two people so madly in love; so perfect for each other—hadn't.

We had fallen apart.

_I don't understand_, I had said.

_Me either…_she had sighed. _I don't understand._

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**Author's Note: So no Emmett/Rosalie shenanigans in this chapter, but don't worry they'll come back. What did you think of this chapter? Reviews are amazing, but I don't have to tell you guys that :)**


	9. Home Is Where the Heartbreak Is

_**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**_

**Author's Note: _(SOME IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS!)_The amount of reviews for last chapter was amazing! Thanks so much for the crazy awesome support!**** I know this has been heartbreaking to read, but thank you so much for being patient with me and not going completely ballistic every time a chapter does not end so happily. It is very frustrating—even I want to just skip all this heart ache and pain—but it is necessary. It wouldn't be realistic if they just kiss and make-up; that would totally ruin the story. But because I have been holding out on divulging if this is a HEA story and there has been so much angst (and still a bit more to come) I _will_ say this: chapter 15 is the turning point in the story. That is all I am saying. Now you have something possibly good or bad to look forward to. I know I suck and seem to be torturing you all, but it must be done. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! :)**

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_**Bella POV**_

It had been four days since mine and Edward's 'date night.' We hadn't really talked much since then—despite the fact that we slept in the same bed every night. It just seemed…weird. Things were weird and I knew I wasn't the only one who felt it.

The night had started out smoothly enough, what with Alice prodding and pinching me for an hour before Edward even showed up. And then the way he so naturally told me I looked beautiful. He made me _feel_ beautiful.

Then at the restaurant. The way he told the waitress I was his wife; the way he practically caressed the words sent a chill through my spine and I couldn't help but just stare at him. I was sure he thought there was seriously something wrong with me, but at that moment I just didn't care. I just wanted to sit there and look at him forever.

Then we went to the park and ran into Jessica Stanley and Mike Newton. To say I was shocked that they were together was the understatement of the century. I could not believe that those two had actually gotten married and started a life together—and a pretty good one at that.

Jessica and Mike were always on and off, fighting every other day through out most of high school—they broke up practically every other week. I just couldn't believe that even _they_ had survived everything and seemed genuinely, unbelievably happy.

Edward and I, on the other hand, had pretty much shattered. We had been so in love, so absolutely perfect together and everyone saw it—including me. But seeing Mike and Jessica so in love and happy made me realize how shitty things really had turned out for Edward and me. We couldn't even compete with the Newton's and that was saying something.

And now here we were, four days later, just the six of us driving down to the place where everything had started. Where I had found my life and my love and a place that was my home.

Alice and Emmett had apparently been planning a trip back to Forks since the day everyone had arrived at the lake house. It seemed like the perfect weekend because Carlisle and Esme wanted some time alone together and I hadn't visited Charlie in forever. But it was different somehow having to lie to Charlie about Edward and me. It was like he always sensed when things were wrong, but just never said anything about it. I wasn't sure if he would sense something was wrong now, but if he did I wasn't sure how I was going to react to that. I knew he would never flat out ask about anything—Charlie just wasn't that type of person. But just the fact that he might _know_ was enough to put me on edge and have me bouncing in my seat, biting my nails for the majority of the trip.

I was mildly aware of someone calling my name as I gazed absentmindedly out the window. The voice kept fading in and out, but once I finally tuned in I found that it was crystal clear.

"Bella!" Rosalie and Alice screeched at the same exact time.

I jumped a little in my seat and looked up at the two of them. We had rented a black suburban that seated eight for this trip so that we could all fit in the same car and still be comfortable. Emmett was up front driving with Rosalie in the passenger seat while Alice and Jasper were in the center seats. Edward and I got the section in the very back.

"Where did you go?" Alice asked, concerned as she, Rosalie, Jasper, and—yes—Edward all stared at me. I saw Emmett glancing at me in the rearview mirror occasionally.

"N-Nowhere," I stuttered, hating being put on the spot like this. "Just thinking about seeing Charlie again after all these years." I forced out a pathetic laugh that I was sure nobody took seriously.

"We were trying to tell you to call Charlie and tell him we're thirty minutes away. Can you handle that?" Rosalie snapped sarcastically.

I looked at her in somewhat surprise, wondering where this sudden anger had come from. But before I could give her a taste of her own bitchy medicine, Edward spoke up.

"What crawled up your ass, Rose?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Hey, what does and does not crawl up my wife's ass is none of your goddamn business!" Emmett hollered, causing the car to swerve slightly when he raised his voice.

"Jesus, Em! Watch the road!" Alice complained. She turned back to me with wide, worried eyes. "Are you sure you're okay, Bell?" she whispered.

I sighed and nodded, hoping to appease her for now. "I'm fine, Al. I'll call Charlie now," I said quietly, reaching in my bag for my phone.

Charlie was excited to hear from me and very happy to know that we were almost there. He said he was waiting for us to arrive and had the bed situation all sorted out. I had wanted to get a motel or something, but Charlie wasn't having any of it. Alice and Jasper were getting the spare bedroom and Rosalie and Emmett were fine taking the couch in the living room since it was a pullout. And—because it would be very suspicious for us not to agree—Edward and I got my old bedroom. Great.

I hung up with Charlie and sighed, staring down at my phone for a few minutes just thinking about what these next couple of days would entail. Of course I was excited to see my father, but considering the circumstances it certainly did not seem like the best time.

I let out another heavy sigh and resumed biting my nails and bouncing my leg up and down nervously. Edward must have noticed my distress.

"It'll be fine, Bella," he said quietly.

His voice startled me a bit since he hadn't spoken directly to me during the entire drive to Forks. We actually hadn't talked to one another—I mean _really_ talk—since our 'date.' There was this sudden invisible line between us, separating us from each other for some unknown reason.

I looked up at him and nodded curtly. "Yea, I know. I'm just happy I'm going to see Charlie," I said softly. Even _I_ wasn't convinced by my reasoning.

"It's just two days," Edward whispered encouragingly. I nodded again, but didn't say anything.

No one talked for the rest of the trip there. When we finally arrived at the house, Emmett parked the car in the driveway and we all got out. I was shocked that the house seemed to look exactly the same as it had when I had been in high school. Even my old, red truck was parked outside by the curb. I actually offered a genuine smile to it. It was sad that the only thing I could offer real emotion to was an inanimate object, but apparently that was what my life had come to these days.

"There's my girl," I heard Charlie say from the porch.

I looked up at him and smiled as he walked down to meet me in the driveway halfway. I practically leaped into his arms, not realizing how much I had really missed my father until that moment.

"Dad," I breathed, closing my eyes and taking in his familiar, comforting scent.

"I missed you, Bells," he said in a raspy voice full of emotion. For a second, I actually thought Charlie was going to cry.

I finally pulled away from him and sure enough his eyes were a little red with unshed tears. I knew he was holding them back in an attempt to remain the tough dad I always knew so I gave him a small smile and stepped aside so the others could greet him.

"Well, well, well. None of you have changed a bit," Charlie announced happily as he pulled Alice and Emmett in for a huge hug. He had known the Cullens since they were children and had met Jasper and Rosalie toward the end of high school once they started dating Alice and Emmett.

"It's been so long, Charlie!" Alice exclaimed happily as Emmett nodded in agreement and the three of them pulled away from each other.

"Nice to see you again, Charlie," Jasper said genuinely as he shook Charlie's hand.

Rosalie stepped up next and wrapped her arms around Charlie's neck, giving him a big hug. He was a little taken aback at first—he wasn't the type to show a lot of emotion—but he eventually hugged her back before pulling away and finally looking at Edward.

"Good to see you again, boy," he said sincerely, holding out his hand. Edward nodded and smiled partially as he stepped forward and shook it. It shocked the hell out of me when Charlie hesitated and then pulled Edward in for one of those awkward 'man hugs.' "You taking care of my little girl?" Charlie asked him quietly. Edward just nodded and Charlie sighed contently and finally pulled away before turning back to all of us. "Alright, you guys must be starving. Sue's got something good cookin' for you guys."

Sue and Harry Clearwater were good friends of my father's. I was happy that he wasn't alone here in Forks; he had a lot of friends who were practically family. I knew he had dated a few women on several occasions, but he just didn't feel like settling down again. He seemed genuinely happy so I never worried about him.

We all smiled as the guys got all of the bags and followed us into my old childhood home. Even the inside looked exactly as I had remembered, not a hair out of place.

"Why don't you kids go get set up in your rooms? Rosalie and Emmett, you guys can put your things in my bedroom to set up later," Charlie suggested. "Harry will be over in a bit and then we can eat."

We all nodded and went our separate ways. It was a little awkward when it was just Edward and I left and the two of us headed to my old bedroom. I took slow, deliberate steps as I approached the familiar door, remembering all those times Edward would sneak up into my room. We would talk for hours, kiss for hours; sometimes he would just stay with me until I fell asleep and when I woke up in the morning, he would be gone, at home getting ready for school. It always made me happy spending all night with him and then seeing him the next day. It was perfect.

Usually those memories made me elated. But now they were just these big, dark holes lingering over my head, reminding me of how screwed up things had gotten.

I took a deep, steadying breath and finally turned the knob and opened the door. The room looked the same—I shouldn't have been surprised considering nothing else about this house was any different.

I glanced back at Edward and offered him an uneasy smile as I walked over to my old bed that still had the same comforter on it, and set my bags down. Edward stood awkwardly in the doorway, placing his suitcases near my dresser.

"Hasn't changed at all, has it?" he murmured quietly, almost to himself.

I turned around and looked at him. He was gazing at the old pictures on my dresser that remained there from my time in Forks. The one that stuck out the most was the picture of Edward and me at our junior prom—the place where we had finally realized our feelings for each other. I practically froze in place when he carefully picked up the frame and examined the picture.

"Do you remember this?" he asked, looking back up at me with a crooked smile on his face.

I sighed and nodded, actually offering him a real half smile as I walked over and stood beside him, gazing down at the picture. "Alice leant me that dress," I chuckled quietly as I shook my head, thinking about how Alice was still the same, exuberant thing she had always been.

"I didn't even know what a corsage was until she told me," Edward laughed, looking back down at the picture as we both became lost in our own memories.

"Do you remember how she forced me to go? Like some crazy banshee woman," I said, unable to contain my laughter.

I turned and walked over to my bed, sitting on the end of it as I watched Edward's mouth pull up into that familiar brilliant smile that I always loved. I wasn't sure what was going on, but it didn't feel strange talking to Edward so casually right now. I wasn't sure if it was the comfort of being in my own home or if the memories we had in this small town together just gave us the ability to act civil towards one another.

It wasn't that I was complaining. This light conversation was definitely a welcome change from the usual screaming matches that ensued or us constantly dancing around our problems and trying our best to force ourselves to get along.

However, here, in this room, it felt like it was just me and Edward—the two seventeen year olds who had fallen in love in a dinky little town and made it to the big times…before falling apart.

But I quickly shook off that last part. I wasn't about to ruin this strange, but nice sensation of just sitting here with Edward and being able to talk to him without constantly reminding myself of how things had gone so completely wrong between us. I wasn't ignoring the problems—I was simply putting them away to be dealt with at a more convenient time.

Okay, even I wasn't convinced by that excuse, but I decided to just forget about it for now and turn my attention back to Edward. He was still standing in the middle of the room, staring down at the picture in his hand.

"I know," he finally answered my previous statement. "She said it was complete blasphemy that you were going to miss out on your junior prom. Like the idea offended her or something." He laughed lightly as he put the picture back and hesitated before sitting on the computer chair at the desk next to me, turning it to face me.

I nodded and smiled at the memory. Alice had been a sophomore and was going with Jasper since he was a junior and only juniors and seniors were allowed to go to prom. She used the excuse of needing more people to help pay for the limo, but Edward and I both knew Alice had been trying to play matchmaker for us since day one. She said we both had feelings for each other and were just too blind to see it at the time.

We finally agreed to go together since we had nothing better to do and Alice wasn't letting up. I wasn't expecting the night to end with Edward's lips on mine and both of us revealing our true feelings for each other, but that's exactly what happened.

Long story short: Alice had been right.

"But it didn't turn out so bad," I said truthfully. "I had a good time with Alice and…everyone," I hesitated, not sure if I wanted to go down this path of conversation.

I wondered if Edward was thinking about how junior prom was indeed the night the two of us had officially begun our relationship. How it was the night that had changed our lives. How it was the night that everything just…came together.

He stared at me for a long time like he was expecting me to say more, but when I didn't he sighed and opened his mouth to say something. He was cut off by Charlie's voice flittering upstairs, announcing that dinner was ready.

I could hear Alice and Jasper shuffle out of their rooms and practically run downstairs and Emmett's bellowing voice when he announced how good everything smelled. Needless to say, mine and Edward's strange yet…meaningful moment was over. We both smile politely at one another before getting up and walking downstairs to the kitchen to join everyone.

We all said our 'hellos' to the Clearwater's. Their children Leah and Seth, who were a few years younger than us, were there as well. The rest of the evening consisted of everyone catching up on what had been happening over the last few years. The Clearwater's and Charlie were extremely happy for Alice and Jasper and of course had been invited to the wedding since they were old family friends of the Cullens as well.

None of them asked about mine and Edward's marriage life to which I was thankful for. Most questioning consisted of where we were living—we had to lie and say we were in the same condo as before—as well as where we were working and how things were in New York. They were surprised we hadn't bought a house yet and at that point things got a little awkward. But Edward came to the rescue by placing a reassuring hand on the back of my neck and telling them that we were keeping our options open.

It was a half-truth.

Everyone stuck around after dinner as we all ate dessert and heard tales from Charlie and Harry of their latest fishing adventures. The night started dying down and I insisted on helping Sue and Leah with the dishes because I really needed a distraction. It wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be to lie to everyone about me and Edward, but it still felt weird.

Eventually the Clearwater's left and shortly after, Alice and Jasper called it a night and retreated to their room.

"Oh, Bells, just leave that for me tomorrow," Charlie insisted as he walked back into the kitchen with the empty plate that had the half-eaten chocolate cake on it from dessert.

Everyone else had situated themselves in the living room shortly after clean-up started, but I stuck around longer than necessary, not wanting to go in there and have to fake my marriage in front of my father any longer than necessary. I knew I was being ridiculous—mine and Edward's conversation upstairs had proven that we had the ability to be civil toward one another, but I still felt uneasy.

"It's fine, Dad, I don't mind," I told him as I took the plate from him and started wrapping Saran wrap over it.

He sighed, but knew by now that arguing with me over kitchen duties was a futile attempt. "Alright, well promise you won't strain yourself too much. I hate the thought of my daughter coming all this way just to clean up after her old dad."

I smiled and put the fully covered cake into the refrigerator before turning back to look at him. "I miss doing this stuff for you, though. It makes me feel like…I'm really at home," I finished softly, looking down.

"This will always be your home, Bells. And you and Edward are welcome anytime. I actually wished the two of you came around more."

My head snapped up and I looked into my father's sincere eyes. "Really?"

"Of course, Bella," he laughed, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You're all the way in New York. I mean…I worry about you." He paused for a minute and I felt the tears emerging. I wasn't used to Charlie showing so much emotion in one day. I wasn't used to him showing so much emotion…ever. "But I know Edward is taking care of my baby girl and that's all the reassurance a father needs."

I nodded and sighed, wiping the stray tears away from my face.

"Aw, Bells, I didn't mean to make you feel guilty," he said hastily as he wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. "I know you have a life and a husband and a career. I'm just being selfish."

I shook my head as I buried my face deeper into Charlie's chest. "No you're not. I really do miss seeing you, Dad. I swear I'll visit more. I hate being so far away from everyone. You…the Cullens…" I trailed off as the truth in my words surprised even me. I really had missed all of them. It was like when Edward and I moved away, everything I knew was left behind.

I loved New York and the life Edward and I had begun together, but I couldn't help but wonder how things would have been different had we stayed in Washington. What if we had moved to Seattle where Edward was offered an equally substantial position at a law firm and I could go on pursuing my writing career? Would things have been different?

It was the old saying: What's done is done. I knew I couldn't turn back time to change the past, but I couldn't help but wonder where Edward and I would be right now had things gone differently. I had never really thought about it before, but being home now opened my eyes to that possibility.

But just as fast as those thoughts appeared, they also evaporated. There was no going back and changing the past. All there was left to do now was to make the best of what was happening in the present and hope that it made the future something to truly look forward to.

"I'm not used to seeing this sensitive side of you," I said with a small laugh after a few moments of silence, hoping to lighten the mood. I felt the vibrations of Charlie's soft laugh against the side of my head and I finally pulled away.

"Me either," he replied. "So you and Edward…you'll come visit more?" he asked hopefully.

It ripped my heart that it would only be me coming, but I couldn't tell him that. Not now. I simply nodded and he gave me a relieved smile before kissing my head and calling it a night.

Charlie left the kitchen and walked back into the living room to say goodnight to Rosalie, Emmett, and Edward as I went about distracting myself with dirty dishes in the kitchen.

I finished cleaning the kitchen half an hour later and decided I had stalled enough for one night. I didn't want to go into the living room and face Emmett and Rosalie, but I also didn't want to give them the satisfaction of knowing that their antics had hit a nerve with me and now I was just hiding from them. So with a resigned sigh, I grabbed the half empty bottle of champagne on the kitchen counter from earlier and headed into the living room.

"And the Swan emerges from her cave," Emmett announced, holding up his empty glass and actually having the audacity to think I would fill it for him.

"I'm pretty sure Swans don't live in caves, Emmett," I said quietly, rolling my eyes and sitting down on Charlie's lazy boy next to where Edward was sitting on the ground in front of the coffee table. Emmett and Rosalie were occupying the couch adjacent to us.

I filled mine and Edward's glass with champagne out of spite and placed the bottle on the coffee table as Emmett and Rosalie held their empty glasses in their hands and glared at us.

"What, are you two suddenly besties now?" Rosalie sneered as she grabbed the bottle of champagne and poured Emmett and herself and glass.

"What, are you done being a bitch now?" I spat back in the same mocking tone she had just used as I took a sip of my drink. Edward chuckled mid-sip and it ended up being choked back into his glass.

Rosalie practically slammed the bottle back on the coffee table and glared at me before sitting back on the couch and shaking her head, swirling her drink around in her glass and watching it with fake interest. "You guys sure are getting better at this whole lying thing. I didn't think you had the heart to lie to Charlie's face." She looked back up at me and smirked when she realized she had struck a nerve.

"What is your problem, Rose?" I demanded, shaking my head and leaning forward, placing my drink on the coffee table in preparation to hash this out with her once and for all. I was sick of these games.

She just shrugged noncommittally, placing her drink on the coffee table as well and leaning forward, mirroring my position. "No problem. I just don't get how you can be so coy about it. I mean, he's your father. The Bella I used to know couldn't tell a lie to save her life, but apparently…" she trailed off, waving her hand in my direction,"…things change. And sometimes for the worse. Isn't that right, Edward?" she asked in a condescending voice as her gaze turned to Edward's.

Edward looked up at Rosalie and sighed exasperatedly. "Honestly, are you two not fucking bored of all this shit yet?" he asked both of them angrily.

"Are _you _two not fucking bored of ignoring your problems and actually sitting down like mature adults, yet?" Emmett shot back.

"Fuck off, Emmett," I spat back harshly, shocking the hell out of myself and apparently everyone else in the room as all wide eyes turned to me in surprise.

"Jeez, Bella, where did this sudden aggression come from?" Rosalie asked me mockingly. I was sick of her patronizing jokes.

"Okay, Rose, enough," I said, standing up and staring both her and Emmett down. "What's going on between me and Edward is none of your guys' business and I'm really fucking sick of you guys interfering and playing these stupid games. Obviously they've done nothing but cause problems so just give it up already."

Both Rosalie and Emmett seemed taken aback by my sudden blow up and the two of them sank back into the couch and just watched me carefully as I took slow, calming breaths.

"Look, I'm sorry for yelling, but I am so sick of this. Please stop. Either tell everyone what's going on because I know you both want to…or just stop torturing us," I pleaded, feeling really emotionally drained. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

They offered me mumbled 'goodnights' as I walked past them and headed upstairs to my bedroom. I didn't close the door behind me, knowing that Edward would be up shortly. I decided that before he came I would get ready for bed.

I changed into my pajamas and went into the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. I opened the door when I was done and saw Edward standing in the hallway across from the door dressed in his pajamas with his toothbrush in hand. I smiled politely at him and brushed past him toward my bedroom.

"Bella," he called quietly.

I paused just as I reached my doorway and turned around to look at him, wondering if he was planning on hashing things out with me now too.

"Are you alright?" he asked me, concern evident in his voice and visible in his eyes.

I sighed and contemplated my answer. Part of me wanted to lie and say I was fine just so I wouldn't have to talk about anything right now, but the other part of me—the weaker part—wanted to just cry in his arms and spill all of my anger and frustration and worries out once and for all.

I decided I was far too drained to do that at the moment so I kept my response short even though I knew it would speak volumes.

"No."

I stood there for a minute as we watched each other, my answer hanging in the air between us. I wondered what he would make of it.

Surprisingly enough, he nodded and offered me a small smile. "Me either," he said softly before walking into the bathroom and closing the door behind him.

I stood there in the hallway for a few minutes not really thinking about anything. I was just trying to figure out what the hell was going on. It felt like our simple answers to one another said so much more than any other words we had ever spoken to each other. We were both hurting. And for some reason, we were both open to admitting it to each other now. But we didn't divulge the facts. We just left things unsaid, but at the same time said everything that was needed to be said. I felt on edge and knew I needed to sleep things off. Things were getting…strange. And I wasn't sure how to deal with it, especially now in my half-asleep state.

I walked into my old bedroom and got under my warm covers, relishing in the familiarity. I was drifting in and out of consciousness when it suddenly occurred to me that Edward and I had not figured out our sleeping arrangements. My bed was big enough for the both of us—we had shared it on many occasions—but I wasn't sure if sleeping in the same bed would be good for us, especially here in my old bedroom where so many memories existed.

I didn't know where else he would go though so I decided to just stay there and let him decide. If he climbed into bed with me, I wouldn't say anything. And if he didn't, I would probably just stay up all night wondering why—maybe he was afraid I would scream at him for it.

These thoughts were cut off, however, as I heard the bedroom door open and then close softly. I heard the quiet and familiar shuffling of his feet and then felt the comforter being lifted up slightly before the other side of the bed shifted from the added weight. I was lying on my side facing away from him and I heard Edward let out a small sigh. I don't know why, but as I closed my eyes contently, I couldn't stop the small smile that spread across my face.

XxXxX

"Ow, Alice! Seriously, the hair pulling is getting really old," I scolded as Alice brushed my hair roughly one last time.

"I'm sorry, I can't help it. You're hair just gets so…out of hand at times," she defended, adding some hair spray to keep my wavy curls in place.

I don't know how I had let Alice talk me into going to Port Angeles tonight, but then again how did I ever let Alice talk me into anything? She was persistent, persistent, persistent.

It was our second night in Forks and we would be leaving tomorrow morning. The last thing I really wanted to do was go out clubbing.

I was content though because Charlie and I had spent the entire afternoon together just talking—something we never did. Everyone else had gone out to shop, but I wanted to spend extra time with Charlie. He started to insist that Edward come too, but I knew that would not turn out so good. One look in my eyes and Edward declined politely before leaving with everyone else.

It had been a nice day. We went to our favorite diner for lunch and spent the rest of the day walking around Forks, talking about everything going on in our lives, connecting in a way we never had when I was a child. I promised to come visit him more often and insisted he come to New York so I could show him around. He acted nonchalant about the idea of coming to a big city, but I could see the excitement in his eyes.

It felt good talking to my dad about everything. Edward was only brought up once and I handled it with grace. I wasn't sure how I was going to break the news of the divorce to him, but I decided to just figure that out when the time came.

"Tonight's going to be fun. We're going to this new club in Port Angeles and you're going to love it! The guys are meeting us there at eight," Alice continued casually as she put the finishing touches on my make-up.

Edward, Jasper, and Emmett had gone to Port Angeles a few hours prior to go check out some of their old hangouts. I was somewhat thankful for that because the time apart from Edward was good for me. It allowed me to clear my head. I didn't have to be constantly aware of myself and make sure that I was acting like a good wife at all times.

"Let's go, bitches!" Rosalie hollered as she sauntered into my room wearing a barely there, red, strapless dress.

"Language, Rose," I warned, only half-joking. "Charlie's downstairs."

"He already left to go to Harry's so chill, Bella," Rosalie spat back. I could tell it came out harsher than she had intended.

"What's with _you_ guys?" Alice asked distractedly as she finished applying my blush.

"Oh nothing," Rosalie said wistfully. "Bella is just mad because Emmett and I know something she doesn't want us to know." She winked at me and smirked as Alice laughed obliviously.

"What, did you guys walk in on her and Edward in an awkward situation?" Alice joked, finally getting up, letting me know I was done.

"Something like that," Rosalie answered smugly, making sure to look straight into my eyes as she said it.

I glared at her as I stood up and grabbed my clutch, following Alice out of the room as Rosalie trailed behind us, whistling proudly to herself. I chose to ignore her.

We had called a taxi to pick us up since Emmett and the guys had taken the suburban. Alice sat in the middle of Rosalie and me and I was thankful for the distance. I couldn't put up with her snide comments for another minute.

"You look hot, Bella!" Alice chirped excitedly. "Edward won't be able to keep his hands off you for a second!"

"We'll see," Rosalie said, smiling to herself at her own little private joke.

Alice didn't hear her, but I did. Ignoring Rosalie was going to be a lot harder than I thought. But I distracted myself by taking in what I was wearing. It was a simple black, strapless dress that stopped just above my knees. I was also wearing a pair of simple black heels—forced on by Alice—and a black, button down coat since it was freezing outside.

I smiled to myself because Alice was right. It was a rare occasion that I thought of myself as attractive, but I did look pretty good tonight and I was actually a little excited.

We started nearing the club, but the traffic was horrible. There was apparently an accident on the main street so we were just sitting there in the car not moving. The club was a few blocks down so we decided to just walk the rest of the way.

As Alice finished tipping the driver, I looked across the street and saw that one of my favorite bookstores was still in the same place. The lights inside indicated that it was open so I decided I had to go take a look.

"Hey, you guys want to go check out the bookstore?" I asked, knowing what the answer would be.

Alice hopped onto the sidewalk and looked at me like I was an alien from another planet. "Are you kidding, Bella?"

"It's been a while, come on," I pleaded, knowing it was a futile attempt.

Alice looked at Rosalie with the same disgusted look on her face and I finally sighed and rolled my eyes. "Okay, how about this? The club is just around the corner from here, right?" I asked. Alice nodded. "Okay, I'll go check out the bookstore and meet you guys there in fifteen minutes."

Alice contemplated for a few minutes as Rosalie checked her manicured nails disinterestedly.

"Are you sure, Bells?" Alice asked worriedly.

I nodded. "Yes. Fifteen minutes, I promise. If I'm not back by then, you have my permission to call the police," I laughed reassuringly.

She rolled her eyes and laughed as well before hugging me goodbye. "Fine, but only fifteen minutes and then I'm sending out a search party," she threatened.

"Deal." I smiled and pulled away from her and offered Rosalie a curt smile as the two linked arms and made their way down the busy street.

I sighed and wrapped my arms tighter around my coat as I cautiously walked across the street into the bookstore. It had changed a lot since I had been there last, but they still had the same classics that I loved.

I wasn't going to buy anything considering I had almost every book here anyways, but it still felt nice being here. I used to come to this bookstore every weekend. Even after Edward and I started dating, he would drive me down here and insist on paying for the books I was getting even though I hated when he did it.

I touched the binding of one of my favorite classics, _Romeo and Juliet_, and smiled at how much Edward detested that play. We could sit for hours on end having heated discussions about it. Those days seemed forever ago.

I took my cell phone out of my clutch and saw that it had been a little over ten minutes since I had arrived. Knowing Alice would carry on with her threat of sending out the search party, I decided to leave.

When I walked out onto the street, I saw it was even busier than before. The police had arrived where the accident had occurred and the sidewalk was closed, causing quite a crowd. I decided I would get lost in there and end up being way too late, so I went around the back of the bookstore, remembering there was a way through an alley I could take to get back to the main street. I knew it would take me almost directly in front of the club.

It was getting colder out and so I crossed my arms over my chest and walked a little faster as I came to the familiar open space between a few of the buildings. I saw a couple of men standing around talking and laughing. They looked to be in their mid-twenties, around my age if not a few years older. I was about to walk straight past them when one of them blocked my way.

"Hey there," he slurred, grabbing onto my upper arm.

His breath fanned across my face and I gagged because it reeked of alcohol. I tried pulling my arm away, but he wouldn't let go.

"Where are you off to dressed like that?" the other one asked, coming to stand behind me at an uncomfortable proximity.

"Get away from me!" I yelled, trying to shove him away with my only free arm.

"Now, now," the one behind me whispered, brushing my hair over my shoulder and placing a kiss on my neck. It sent unwanted shivers of fear down my spine. "You know you're being a little cock-tease walking around like that."

I pulled my arm back and hammered him in the groin, causing him to wheeze and stumble back as he grabbed onto his male parts.

"You little bitch!" the other one holding my arm sneered. He pulled his arm back—ready to slap me across the face—and I shrank away, unable to pull out of his grasp.

"Hey!" a loud, angry voice yelled from behind me.

The guy looked over my shoulder, his hand still suspended in the air, and before I knew it, he was punched across the face and fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

I looked up, completely and absolutely terrified, and stared back into the eyes of a very livid Edward.

He broke his gaze from me, however, when the guy I had punched in the groin got up and started staggering toward us. Edward punched him in the stomach twice and then easily pushed him to the ground.

"Don't you fucking _dare_ get up," he spat to both of them as he grabbed my arm and started pulling me with him.

Edward started dragging me hurriedly through the last alleyway and toward the main street. I looked behind me once and saw the two men staggering onto their feet and sprinting in the opposite direction.

Edward didn't say two words to me as he continued pulling me with him to the club. His grasp on my arm was starting to get painful, but I decided it was best not to say anything. I had never seen Edward this angry before. Ever.

We finally got to the club and of course there was no line waiting outside, seeing as this was a pretty small town.

"Go find Alice and Rosalie," Edward said in an emotionless tone as he practically shoved me to the doorway and started off in the opposite direction.

I watched as he turned the corner to the side of the club and after a few seconds, I followed him. I was confused when I saw him leaning against the side of the club, looking down at the ground and pinching the bridge of his nose.

I took a few steps toward him and when he finally heard me approach, his head snapped up in my direction. The look of anger in his eyes took me by surprise and I actually stumbled back a few steps.

"I said go inside, Isabella," he said harshly.

Using my full first name was never a good sign with Edward. He only ever did it to get on my nerves or when he was really, really pissed at me for something. I figured it had to be the latter, but I couldn't understand why he would be angry with _me_.

"What's wrong?" I asked quietly, afraid to set him off.

He exhaled sharply and closed his eyes as he ran both of his hands roughly through his hair before letting his arms fall to his sides. He looked at me again, some of the anger gone, but most of it very much present.

"Do you have…any semblance…of self-preservation?" he asked slowly and steadily, forcing himself to remain calm.

His question shocked the hell out of me. "What?"

"Why would you just go walking in a dark alley in the middle of the night?! Why weren't you with Rosalie and Alice?!" he asked, stepping away from the wall and raising his voice.

"I-I went to the bookstore," I stammered, confused, feeling like I was being reprimanded like a six-year-old.

"So you just decided to walk alone in a dark alley dressed like…" he trailed off, waving his hand at my outfit as if to prove his point.

I looked down at my clothes, more confused than ever, before finally looking back up at him. "How did you even know where I was?"

He looked at me incredulously, obviously thinking I would be more concerned about the fact that I had just been nearly violated than trying to figure out how Edward knew where to find me.

"Emmett, Jasper, and I were walking down to the club," he said exasperatedly. "I saw you walk out of the bookstore alone and I told them I was going to go get you. And then I see you walking around the _back_! Do you have any idea what could have happened to you if I hadn't been there?!"

"Of course I do, Edward, I just…I just…" I couldn't come up with a plausible response. I mean, I saw now how stupid it was, but I had gone that way a million times when I was in high school—granted it was daytime, but still. He had no right to lecture me like I was a child. "What do you care, anyways?" I demanded angrily, crossing my arms defensively over my chest.

Edward stared at me like I had grown an extra head or something. "Are you listening to yourself?" he asked disbelievingly. "Why do I _care_? Why do I _fucking _care? Because I care about you, Bella! As hard as it may seem for you to believe, I care about you! Do you have any idea what could have happened to you had I not been there? Those disgusting…repulsive…fucking _assholes_. They touched you! They would have done so much more if…" he stopped short, looking down and shaking his head, obviously trying to rid himself of the thoughts.

I stood there watching him as he struggled to re-collect himself. My mouth was hanging open, but I wasn't sure exactly what I could say to him. He was so worried…so afraid for me. I knew Edward had never stopped caring about me. Even after everything we had been through, I knew Edward always cared. But still, seeing him here now, showing it so openly...

I took a slow step toward him and reached my hand out to touch his arm. "I'm sorry, Edward," I whispered. "I wasn't thinking."

He finally looked up at me, all traces of anger gone and now replaced by hurt. "How can you think for _one _second that I don't care about you, Bella?" he asked me in a soft voice.

I shook my head and shrugged, trying to keep my own emotions at bay for the time being.

"Is that what you think?" he pressed.

I finally looked into his eyes and let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "No," I said surely.

"Then why did you say it?"

I shrugged and successfully kept the tears that were threatening to escape away. "I don't know. It just came out in the heat of the moment. Again, I wasn't thinking." I hadn't realized I was shaking—both from the terrifying ordeal I had just been through and from all the emotions I was currently feeling.

Edward noticed my trembling. He looked down at my hand that was still on his arm.

"You're shaking," he whispered.

"I'm sorry," I blurted out before I could stop myself. I wasn't sure what I was apologizing for.

Edward's eyes snapped up to mine again and before I knew what he was doing, he wrapped his arms around me and held me close. I closed my eyes and relished in the familiar and warm scent that was Edward. I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist and just stood there with him, holding onto him like my life depended on it. I was scared…and confused…and a hell of a lot of other things that I wasn't ready to face right now, but with Edward holding me, I felt safe.

"Did they hurt you?" he whispered, softly brushing his hands through my hair.

I shook my head against his chest. "No," I breathed. "Thank you…for saving me." It was probably the lamest thing in the world to say, but I wanted to let him know how thankful I was that he was there. "And thank you for caring," I finally whispered after a moment's silence.

Nothing else was said as we continued standing there, holding onto each other like we were the other's life raft. I wasn't sure what this meant, but at the moment, I didn't care. I was just content with Edward holding me for the first time since our separation. It was hard admitting it to myself, but it wasn't simply Forks and Charlie and my house and my truck that made this place feel like home. It was Edward, too.

* * *

**Author's Note: ****More angst? Really? I know you guys must be like GET. ON. WITH. IT. I know it is killing you guys—it's killing me too—but everything is going to collide very soon. It's only a matter of time before things blow up. Hope you all still enjoyed it! Please review!**


	10. Just For Today

_**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**_

**Author's Note: I hope everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving had a fantastic holiday! I'm still pretty full from turkey, but am enjoying the four days off :)**

**I apologize, my dear readers, for so much heartbreak and angst in this story, but it isn't for nothing. It all leads to…something :) This chapter is much lighter and I hope you appreciate it. Thanks so much for the amazing support! If you have any questions about the story or just want to discuss it with me, visit the forums at twilighted! I try to check it every couple of days or so and I will be happy to talk to you guys about anything!**

**Who else saw _New Moon_ and was the ONLY girl in the theatre who didn't scream till they died when Taylor Lautner took his shirt off. Just me???**

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**Enjoy this chapter!**

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_**Edward POV**_

I'm not sure how long I lay awake watching Bella sleep. It could have been minutes, possibly hours, but I couldn't look away.

She was laying there on her side, facing me, eyebrows furrowed tightly together, her mouth opened slightly as if she was having a bad dream. Maybe she was thinking about last night in the alley. I knew I couldn't get it out of my head.

I had followed her, too far away to get her attention, but not far enough to see those bastards touch her. Even thinking about it now made my jaw clench and my heart race. How could she be so stupid?

And how could she think I didn't care?

"_What do you care anyways?" _she had asked me.

I was taken aback—appalled really—that she would think I ever stopped caring about her. I would care about Bella for the rest of my life. I would protect her forever, even if she didn't want me around.

To say I was shocked by my own reaction would be an understatement. I was angry first—angry at her for being so careless…angry at those sick, repulsive excuses for human life who had touched her. But when it came right down to it—when she was standing there with her arms wrapped around me—I knew it wasn't just anger I was feeling. It was love.

I never stopped loving Bella, even though I had tried to. I tried pushing my feelings away to make it easier to let go, but I was weak. I couldn't let her go. I couldn't let her go without sorting out all of the shit we had been through first. Even if we didn't get back together. Even if it didn't change anything…at least we wouldn't leave things like this—both of us hating each other, harboring negative feelings toward one another.

I needed to talk to Bella. _Really_ talk to her.

We needed to get everything out in the open. I knew there were things that needed to be said. I knew Bella was still hurt over everything that had happened—I was, too. The misunderstandings that had occurred between us…that had torn us apart…seemed almost laughable now. It was just one confusion after another, after another.

I needed her to realize that I never meant to hurt her.

I needed to tell her I understood what she meant now—why she was so upset. Why I shouldn't have let things with Tanya progress the way they had.

I needed her to know that I never meant to push her feelings aside. I never meant to make her think I didn't care.

I needed her to know that I loved her. That I would always love her. And that I never wanted anyone besides her.

And I needed her to know how much it hurt that she doubted me. How much it hurt that she didn't trust me. How much it fucking _killed_ me to see her on our couch with Jacob Black.

She needed to know.

Even though it might not even change anything. Even though we would still get a divorce. At least things would be left on better terms. At least we wouldn't hate each other.

At least she wouldn't hate me.

I contemplated when the best time would be to bring something like this up. It seemed like everyday was a miracle if we got through it without fighting—like we were walking on eggshells around each other and any minute one of us would break.

I didn't want it to come to that. We were both mature adults. Emmett and Rosalie were right—enough was enough. We needed to figure shit out. We had left things unsaid long enough…ignored problems to no avail, but we couldn't do that anymore.

Last night changed things. It made me realize that my feelings for Bella were still very much present, even if I had been trying desperately to ignore them. I realized I still cared for her and respected her too much to leave things the way they were, which is why I knew it was time to talk.

I just hoped she felt the same way.

Still, the timing was an issue. I knew we would be spending the entire day together, thanks to Alice and Jasper, but there was so much we had to do that I wasn't sure there would be time for…'The Talk'…as I had now deemed it in my mind.

After we had arrived back in Seattle last night, Alice and Jasper asked Bella and I if we would do them a few favors. By _few_ they meant a shit load.

As best man and maid of honor, Bella and I had a lot of business to attend to. We had to pick up their 'save the date' cards and mail them, place their orders for flower arrangements, and make sure their cake would be ready on the day of their wedding.

So many things to do…I didn't know if I could squeeze in a serious conversation in the middle. I also knew I had to ease Bella into it. I didn't want to get her upset or have her think that I was just trying to start up another heated argument. I also didn't want her to think it was my way of trying to get back with her. I knew we had been through too much for her to think about taking me back, so I had to make sure it was perfectly clear that my intentions were merely to leave us on good terms. As much as it killed me, and as much as I didn't want it, Bella and I would most likely have to let go. But at least this way, it wouldn't be a messy divorce like so many countless other couples had. Maybe we could even be…friends.

That word made my insides twist and my heart constrict. I knew I could never just be friends with Bella and I knew she could never just be friends with me. And that killed me the most. Either we were together…or we could be nothing at all.

Maybe if we talked…

…No.

I wasn't going to hope again. I knew if I hoped—and things turned out badly—it would make it harder.

No, right now I would settle for talking. A clean slate was something we both needed and we couldn't do that if we kept ignoring our problems. It also couldn't work if every time we discussed our problems, it led to fighting. I didn't want to fight anymore. I had no fight _left_.

Talking. That would have to do for now. That would have to be enough.

I just had to figure out when and where.

Bella stirred beside me and it immediately brought me back to the present. I glanced down at her and smiled slightly. Her eyes were still closed, but her face was flushed and her hair was sticking to her forehead. I knew she would be waking up soon, and because I didn't want to look like a crazy stalker, I slowly and quietly got out of bed and walked to the bedroom door. I closed it softly behind me after leaving and headed downstairs to the kitchen.

Emmett and Jasper were both in the kitchen when I walked in. Jasper was sitting at the counter eating a bowl of cereal and reading the newspaper while Emmett was standing in front of the open fridge, probably scrounging around for his fourth meal of the day.

Jasper noticed me walk in and looked up at me, smiling brightly. "Morning, Edward. Coffee?" he offered, holding up his own mug.

"Yea, I'll get it," I said quietly, mumbling a 'good morning' to Emmett as I walked past him to pour myself a cup before going to sit on the bar stool beside Jasper. I noticed he was dressed a little more formally than usual. "Where are you off to?" I asked him.

He swallowed the last bite of his cereal before looking at me. "I have a meeting with one of my colleagues. He's a grad student like me and its his first year teaching so I'm helping him out."

I nodded as I took a sip of my coffee.

Jasper was a professor of psychology at Seattle University. He had been teaching there for the past three years while finishing his last couple years of grad school. It was a perfect profession for Jasper because not only was he good at reading people and deciphering their emotions, he was also a people person and loved working with others. He hadn't been working as much because it was summer, but apparently a teacher's work was never finished.

"Thanks again for helping Alice and I out by the way. She and Rosalie are managing the store today and everyone's at work," he said, going to the sink and rinsing his empty bowl and mug.

"Don't worry about it," I waved off. "It'll be nice to get out."

I nodded slightly at my own statement before looking at Emmett and seeing that he was wearing a suit and tie. He was smiling cheekily at me.

"You going to work, too?" I asked uninterestedly.

I was still pissed at Emmett and Rosalie—no, fucking livid was more like it. They were making mine and Bella's life hell and getting a huge kick out of it in the process. It was kind of sick.

He nodded, still smiling that same dimpled smile that always made my mother's heart melt when we were kids. "Yup. I got a meeting with corporate for this new ad we're putting out for the local hospital. It's a pretty big deal…brings in a lot of money," he said proudly.

I nodded curtly and gave him a grim smile. "Life's all about money, right?" I bit back sarcastically.

That made Emmett's smile fade instantly. "Don't go getting all philosophical on me, Eddie-boy," he quipped, patting me a little too roughly on the back as he grabbed his briefcase from the table and headed toward the front door. "Later, guys!" he called.

"Bye, Em," Jasper said absentmindedly as he continued reading the business section in the newspaper.

"Later," I mumbled, looking down at my coffee. "So Esme and Carlisle are at work, too?" I asked as I looked up at Jasper.

He nodded and looked up at me from the newspaper. "Yup." He gave me a devious smile. "You and Bella have the house all to yourselves. What are you going to do first? Defile the den or the living room?" he asked conspiratorially.

I practically choked on the sip of coffee I was currently taking in as I looked up and saw that Jasper was being completely serious.

"Uh…" I laughed nervously. "No…no defiling today. I'd hate to ruin Carlisle and Esme's lovely lake house," I mumbled uncomfortably.

He just shrugged indifferently. "Either way…if you're thinking about it…try the bookshelf in the den. Bella's just a tad bit taller than Alice, but I'm sure if you angled it _just right_…"

"Okay! Jazz!" I held up my hand, stopping him from delving further into his sex-capades with my sister. There were just some things that a brother absolutely did _not _need to know.

Jasper laughed loudly, tears practically spilling from his eyes as he grabbed a piece of stationary paper by the telephone and handed it to me.

"Alice left a list of all the things she wanted you and Bella to do, just so you don't forget," he explained, random spurts of laughter still tumbling out of his mouth. "If you guys have any questions, just call one of our cells. All good?"

I glared at him since his mouth was pressed together in a tight line, trying to keep his laughter from bubbling over. I nodded curtly and sighed as I walked him to the front door and watched as he got into his car. He rolled down the passenger side window as I stood at the doorway and waited for him to leave.

"Oh, by the way, the breakfast counter in the kitchen? Offers _brilliant _leverage," he called as I quickly slammed the front door, stopping him from going any further.

I heard his laughter as it faded away once he started driving down the long, dirt driveway that led to the main street.

I took a deep breath and ran my hand through my hair as I walked back into the kitchen and tried pushing away the thoughts of Alice and Jasper on the bookshelf…or on the kitchen counter…or any place else for that matter.

I walked into the den and sat on the couch, staring at the plasma television in front of me with no interest in turning it on. I gazed at the bookshelf Jasper was talking about and shook my head.

He was right, though. It was perfect leverage for Bella. I could see myself taking her up against the books, some of them falling haphazardly to the ground with the force of my pounding into her. And she'd be screaming my name over…and over…and…

"Edward?"

I jumped violently in my seat and looked at the doorway where Bella was standing, cup of coffee in hand, looking at me nervously.

"H-Hey," I stammered, trying to get rid of all the naughty thoughts now plaguing my mind. "Sleep well?" I all but choked out.

"Yea," she answered quietly, looking down at her mug and playing with the handle. "You?" she asked without looking up.

"Alright, I guess," I shrugged.

"Oh." She nodded and continued gazing down at her drink like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.

It was getting a little awkward and I wondered if now was a good time to bring up 'The Talk.' But because I didn't want that to be the first thing she woke up to in the morning, I decided to steer the conversation toward something a little lighter.

"Uh, Alice left us a list of everything to do today," I started quietly. "Basically everything she told us last night so…whenever you're ready."

Bella looked up at me and nodded, smiling slightly. It actually seemed genuine.

"Okay, um, I'm just going to shower and get dressed. So…maybe a half an hour? Is that okay?" she asked.

"Yea, that's perfect. I'm going to shower down here so we can leave as soon as we're done," I said, getting up and walking over to her.

I don't think she realized that she was standing in the doorway because she just nodded and looked back down at her mug, not moving.

"So…" I started conversationally, standing about two feet away from her.

"So…" she nodded, looking up at me again. "Oh!" she gasped, realizing she was blocking my exit. She quickly moved out of the way and laughed quietly. "Wow, sorry. I'm kind of…flustered in the morning."

I chuckled and walked out before looking at her and nodding. "I know."

Her smile slowly faltered as we both realized how my comment brought back many memories of the two of us together. She cleared her throat uncomfortably before glancing at the staircase.

"So, I'm going to go shower now…" she trailed off.

I nodded. "Me too."

She nodded as well and we just stood there awkwardly, both of us shifting our weight from one foot to the other. After a couple of minutes, we both all but bolted in opposite directions to go shower and get ready for the day.

As the hot spray worked its way down my body, I imagined Bella upstairs, lathering herself up all alone. It was making it a little harder to concentrate when I knew that Bella's naked body was so close…and so wet…and so…

_Okay, Cullen, now you have a hard-on. Good job._

I sighed heavily and finished my shower quickly before jumping out and getting dressed. I walked into the kitchen and saw Bella sitting at the counter eating a muffin. Suddenly, Jasper's words from this morning sprung into my mind and I immediately saw myself walking up behind Bella, throwing the muffin out of her hand, and taking her from behind without any warning as she bent over the kitchen counter.

I shook my head to dispel the intruding thoughts before knocking softly on the wall in the entryway. Bella quickly looked up at me and smiled slightly before finishing the rest of her muffin and hopping off the stool, grabbing her purse and following me out to the car.

Alice and Rosalie had taken Rosalie's red BMW to work today so Alice was letting us borrow her yellow Porsche. I didn't even try to hide my excitement when she had told me last night that I could drive it, but not before promising to offer the keys to Bella first.

"Do you want to drive?" I asked Bella as we walked into the enormous garage.

She looked at me and laughed. It was the first time I had been around Bella and heard her offer a real laugh in a long time. I wanted to hear it more often.

"Are you kidding?" she asked between gasps. "Edward, you've probably been dreaming about driving this car all night. I would _not_ take that away from you."

She shook her head and continued smiling as she got into the passenger seat. I smiled to myself and got into the driver's side, my smile only growing wider when I turned the ignition and heard the beautiful purr of the engine as it came to life.

Bella laughed at my excitement and I ignored her as I backed out of the garage and headed toward town. Surprisingly, the silence in the car didn't feel awkward or uncomfortable like I thought it would, especially after last night.

After holding Bella for a while longer outside of the club last night, we had gone inside and didn't bring up anything that had happened to anyone—even each other. And then later that night, I lay in bed waiting for sleep to overtake me as Bella sat beside me and read her book. It was like nothing had ever happened and I wondered if maybe I should bring it up. It could even possibly serve as a leeway for 'The Talk' that we would need to have sooner or later.

"So," I started after a cloud of silence had taken over the car as we headed onto the main street. "How are you doing? After last night, I mean," I asked quietly, glancing at her to gauge her expression.

Her face remained relatively composed as she gazed out the window. After a few seconds had passed, she let out a small breath. "I'm okay," she shrugged. "Like you said…it could have been worse."

I nodded and threw her words around in my head for a bit. I wasn't sure if she was keeping things to a minimal because she didn't want to talk about it, or if it was because she wanted me to say something.

"Yea…" I cleared my throat, unsure where I was heading with this.

Maybe bringing it up was a dumbass idea.

"I really am sorry, Edward," she said quietly before I had the chance to say anything else.

I looked over at her confused as we stopped at a red light. "For what, Bella?"

She looked away from me and out her window. "For…being careless and making you worry," she mumbled quietly. "And for yelling at you…" she trailed off.

I knew she probably didn't want to bring up the whole caring issue again, but I wanted to make sure she knew that I had meant what I said.

"I care about you, Bella," I said firmly. "I never stopped."

She looked at me again and offered a half-hearted smile. "Thanks," she whispered, and I felt my eyebrows furrow in confusion because I had no idea what the hell she was thanking me for.

She averted her gaze to her lap and opened her mouth again. I waited because it seemed like she wanted to say more.

"I care about you, too," she murmured softly—so softly that if I hadn't been focusing my entire attention on her, I would have missed it.

The impact of her words surprised me. It made my heart feel like it restarted somehow. Those five little words did something extraordinary to me and I suddenly understood what she was thanking me for. This feeling was something I hadn't experienced since the day we had been separated, but it was the most amazing feeling in the world.

"Thank you," I replied quietly.

She looked up at me and smiled before letting out a gust of air and clearing her throat, looking thoroughly refreshed, like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. I felt the same way.

"Okay, where to first?" she asked, her tone taking on a much lighter quality than what I had been used to these last couple of weeks.

I looked down at Alice's list just as the light turned green. "Flower arrangements. Sounds girly," I grimaced, and handed Bella the list as she laughed quietly.

We drove the rest of the way to the flower shop in silence. Only Alice would pick the largest flower shop in all of Seattle, and as Bella and I walked into the shop, we were hit with a plethora of different aromas from all directions.

"Oh my, my, my!" the woman behind the counter gasped as she walked over to Bella and me.

She looked to be in about her late fifties or early sixties with white hair that was cut extremely short—shorter than Alice's. She dressed young for her age, but not in a creepy, overdone cougar type of way. Her smile was extremely friendly and she seemed very warm and approachable.

"How can I help you two?" she asked sweetly as she came over to stand in front of us.

"We're here to place an order for a wedding?" Bella replied quietly, making the statement come out like a question.

"Oh, how lovely! A wedding!" the woman cried in delight as she walked back behind the counter and opened a large book. "When are you two lovelies tying the knot?" she asked as she flipped through a few pages.

Bella and I looked at each other awkwardly, wondering which of us was going to be the first to correct the woman. I finally looked back at the store owner and smiled warmly.

"It's actually for my sister. Alice Cullen?" I said as I put my hand on the small of Bella's back and led her to the counter to stand across from the woman.

She looked up at us and smiled wider—if that was even possible.

"Oh, yes! Alice Cullen! Her fiancé is quite the catch," she said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Bella laughed and blushed a little before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and nodding as the woman eyed mine and Bella's proximity curiously.

"Oh! You're her brother Edward!" she suddenly said in excitement, looking at me. "Yes, little Alice told me you would be here today." She looked at Bella and her smile turned even sweeter. "And you must be the lovely Mrs. Cullen. Oh, you are so beautiful," she breathed wistfully, a faraway look in her eyes as she started writing some things down in her notebook. "My first husband…oh, _let me tell you_…my first husband was a liar and a cheat!" she said with an edge to her voice. It was strange seeing such a happy and exuberant woman show such negative emotions. Suddenly her face turned warm again. "But my second husband…oh…" she trailed off, looking out the window, shaking her head in thought and smiling softly. "He is the greatest thing…that has ever happened to me."

She looked at Bella again and pushed a piece of paper across the counter toward her. "You're the maid of honor?" she asked politely. Bella nodded. "Would you just fill this out, dear? Alice already told me which arrangements she wants and I've _tripled_ checked that they are available," she said cheerfully.

Bella smiled at the woman and took the pen from her, getting to work on filling out the form.

"I'm Margaret, by the way," the woman said, still smiling.

Bella looked up and smiled sincerely. "Bella," she introduced herself.

"Beautiful," Margaret murmured to herself, looking at Bella adoringly.

Bella blushed and smiled before turning her attention back to the form. I hadn't realized I had been watching Bella so intensely until Margaret broke me out of my daze.

"Don't let this one go," Margaret warned playfully.

My head snapped up in her direction as Bella shifted slightly beside me.

"She's a keeper," Margaret said quietly, then winked.

I couldn't contain the signature crooked smile that broke out on my face, and as I looked down at Bella who was pushing the now completed form back toward Margaret, I saw that she was about ten shades of red.

"Alright, so everything is set. You tell Alice I say hi!" Margaret said happily

We nodded and smiled at her as we thanked her and started walking toward the door.

"Mmm…oh, and Bella?" Margaret called one last time.

Bella and I both stopped at the front entrance and turned to look at her. Margaret was looking at me appraisingly.

"Very…yummy choice in male selection," she said in a suggestible tone as Bella stammered out a quick 'thanks' and blushed some more.

I smirked at Margaret and followed Bella out. We walked out onto the side walk and started walking down to the shop where Alice ordered her 'save the date' cards since it was just around the corner.

"Well, that was awkward," Bella mumbled after a few moments of silence.

"Hey, you weren't the one being checked out by somebody old enough to be your grandmother!" I defended, laughing lightly at the memory. "She was sweet, though," I added softly, looking down at the ground as we walk silently side by side.

"Yea, she was," Bella agreed.

"And spot on about what she said," I said seriously as I opened the door to the shop for her.

She stopped and looked at me, searching my eyes as she tried deciphering the meaning of my words.

My face broke out into a smile. "I really am yummy," I teased smugly.

Her mouth dropped open and she smacked me lightly on the arm before shaking her head and walking into the shop, trying to suppress her laughter.

"Conceited," I heard her mumble as she approached the sales lady and gave her Alice's information.

As the woman at the counter went to the back to retrieve the cards, I looked over at the other side of the store and noticed a couple of girls about my and Bella's age watching me with a small smile on their faces. I smiled politely and nodded in acknowledgement before looking back at Bella, only to see her watching them before glancing at me. Her eyes locked with mine for a moment and I could have sworn a flash of pain flew across them.

She couldn't possibly think I was looking at them because I was _interested_?

Just as I was about to open my mouth to say something—anything—a man walked into the shop and stood beside Bella at the counter, looking at the other saleswoman who was smiling at him. He looked to be a few years older than us with cropped blond hair and a boyish face.

"Hi, I'm picking up invitations for my mother's wedding?" he asked the saleslady softly. He was obviously coming onto her and it made the girl swoon before she nodded and walked to the back.

The man noticed us standing there and immediately looked down at Bella.

"Oh, please don't tell me," he warned seriously, looking at Bella as if they were old friends.

Bella looked up at him—having not noticed he walk in—and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What?" she asked hesitantly.

The man shook his head and looked away. "All the good ones are taken," he said softly, shaking his head before looking at her and flashing her a bright smile. "I only say that because I am assuming you are picking up invitations for _your _wedding."

Bella seemed taken aback before she shook her head. "Um…n-no. For my friend, actually."

This made the man smile wider. I stood there watching their exchange uncomfortably, suppressing the urge to punch the guy in the fucking face and make a scene.

Bella finally looked away from the man and up at me. "This is my husband, Edward," she said politely. She looked back at him and smiled slightly. "I'm Bella."

His smile instantly faded and I smirked as I held my hand out for him to shake.

"Nice to meet you," I managed as civilly as I possibly could.

"You, too," he answered, although his politeness seemed extremely forced now. "James Warner. It's a…pleasure."

I let go of his hand and nodded as the woman brought his invitations back first and handed them to him. He took them before smiling weakly at Bella and I and walking out of the store. I had to stop myself from going after him and ripping his eyes out for flirting with my wife.

This was the second time in a week that I felt this sort of…jealousy when it came to Bella. First toward Mike Newton when he eyed Bella at the park—despite being in a committed relationship—and now with a complete stranger.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized it wasn't the first time I felt this way. It happened whenever random guys looked at Bella a certain way or came onto her.

I briefly considered if it was the same thing when girls would come onto _me_, but I noticed that it had never led to an issue between Bella and I. Even though it pissed me off sometimes, I never let those guys bother me.

Then I realized the difference was that Bella didn't seem to even notice when men would gawk at her, so I would just mad-dog the hell out of them and they would be on their way.

But couldn't it work both ways? I didn't notice woman who openly wanted to flirt with me—I mean, okay, yea I noticed them doing it, but I didn't give a shit about them. Bella _had_ to notice men gape at her. Why could she just brush them off without a care and I couldn't?

I knew she had insecurity issues and I was trying my best to understand where they had stemmed from and how best to work through them. And I also knew that I never brought up any of those men who would stare at her—mainly because I realized she was never looking at them…so I tried not to notice them either. It was easy to do when I had someone like Bella in my arms.

But because Bella brought up those girls…because she had genuine concerns about them…I should have listened instead of remaining completely ignorant. If I had gone to her and told her I didn't like certain guys she spent time with because they seemed attracted to her, and she just laughed it off and told me not to worry, I would have been fucking pissed…and hurt as hell.

Shit. I'm an asshole.

"Edward?" Bella snapped her fingers in my face and I was immediately brought out of my stupor. I looked into her deep, chocolate brown eyes as she gazed at me concerned, probably thinking I had gone mental or something.

"Yea, sorry." I shook my head to rid myself of the whirlwind of thoughts running through my mind—I definitely stored them away to bring up during 'The Talk.'

I looked down in her arms and saw the package with the cards in them.

"Ready?" I asked.

She nodded and I walked behind her toward the exit. The two girls that had been staring at me were now closer to us and were giggling and smiling in what I'm sure they thought was a seductive manner. I held the door open for Bella as I tried my best to ignore them.

She walked past me and mumbled, "Looks like you've got a fan club."

I stepped outside and looked at her. She was standing there, package in hand, shifting from one foot to the other as she looked at me apprehensively.

I smirked. "You didn't do so bad yourself," I quipped playfully. She looked at me confused, so I clarified, "James seemed to take quite a liking to you."

This seemed to catch her off guard. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times as she stared at me incredulously.

"He probably hits on every girl within a three mile radius," she defended, chuckling darkly. "The guy just _reeked_ of sex."

I chuckled and nodded. "Yea…well…just don't forget, Bella, it works both ways," I hinted as I took the packages from her and started on my way toward the post office.

She stood where she was for a few minutes, probably trying to make sense of my ambiguity. She finally caught up with me, however, and walked directly into the post office without waiting for me. I smiled to myself—hopefully she had understood what I meant.

We mailed the invitations and went directly to the bakery to finalize Alice and Jasper's wedding cake order. Bella was being extremely quiet and I wondered if maybe I had gone too far. I was trying to make light of a serious situation—maybe ease her into 'The Talk' a little sooner than was necessary—and now it seemed to have blown up in my face.

I didn't mean anything by the comment. I knew it was different for her because she had to actually deal with years of me putting off her concerns…all of it leading to that one fateful night.

My issues didn't seem to go as deep as hers. One glare at the guys who would hit on her, and they practically shit their pants.

Fuck. It was similar, but nowhere near the same thing. I shouldn't have even said anything.

"Bella?" I asked hesitantly as we started walking back to the car.

It had gotten a little darker since we had been out for a while now doing Alice and Jasper's errands.

Bella stopped by the passenger side door and looked at me. Her face hinted at no particular emotion and I took that as a good sign.

"Do you want…to get some ice cream?" I asked uncertainly.

I wasn't sure where that question had come from, but I wanted more time with her. I didn't want to go back home and have to fake our marriage for the sake of our family. I liked it out here. We could be honest—no pretending.

She eyed me warily before her face broke out into a tiny smile. "Sure," she shrugged, walking back over to me.

I smiled down at her and wondered if maybe she hadn't understood the full meaning of my previous comment. I decided I wouldn't push it now and would just leave that for 'The Talk.'

Damn, I felt like I needed to come up with a better name for the infamous talk we would eventually have to have. 'The Talk' just made it sound so negative—it was a bad precedence. I didn't want to think of it as a bad thing. I wanted it to be thought of as a good thing, something that would help us.

I needed a new name.

'The Day the Earth Stands Still' seemed a _bit_ more dramatic of a name than 'The Talk,' so I quickly moved on.

'Happy Days' didn't quite capture the essence of the situation so I continued my pursuit for the perfect name as Bella and I walked down to the local ice cream parlor.

I opened the door for her and then followed her inside. It wasn't relatively busy inside except for a few young boys wearing baseball uniforms and someone who could only be their coach sitting with them.

"What can I get for you two?" the man at the counter asked politely.

Bella looked at me, silently telling me to order first, so I looked back at the man and smiled courteously.

"I'll have a scoop of chocolate in a sugar cone, please, and she'll have a regular cone, half vanilla, half strawberry," I said politely.

The man nodded and went to work on scooping the ice cream. I glanced at Bella in passing as I took my wallet out and saw that she was slightly gaping at me.

"Oh, shit," I said, realizing what I had just done. "I'm sorry," I mumbled turning to get the man's attention to change the order.

"No, Edward, it's fine," Bella said quietly, grabbing my arm to pull me back from saying anything.

I looked at her and shook my head. "I shouldn't have done that. I just got used to it after a while. Tell me what you want. I'll just change it." I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion when I saw that she was smiling slightly and shaking her head at me through out my babbling speech.

"That's what I was going to order," she said softly, almost shyly. "It was just…weird that you knew."

"It's second nature," I blurted out without thinking.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but quickly closed it and looked down, shaking her head a little. I was about to ask her what that was about, but our ice cream was ready.

I handed her hers and smiled softly at her, thankful when she smiled back tentatively. I took my own and paid the man at the register.

As I went to hold the door open for Bella, I couldn't help but overhear parts of the conversation going on between the kids on the baseball team and their coach.

"Alright, guys, the big events this weekend. It's going to be scary…it's going to teach us all something…and it's definitely going to put everything we've worked for to the test. It's the moment of truth. You guys ready for it?" the coach asked them enthusiastically as the table erupted into cheers.

"Edward? You coming?" Bella asked me confused as I just stood there.

I broke out of my haze and looked up at her, nodding absentmindedly as I stepped out.

"You…okay?" she asked me when I continued looking down.

"Yea," I said quietly, a million thoughts running through my head. I finally looked up at her and smiled. "Do you want to go for a walk?" I asked hopefully.

She sighed and nodded carefully, probably wondering why I was acting so weird today.

We walked side by side in silence, enjoying our ice cream and just wandering the streets. Not much was said because the majority of my thoughts was focused on what that coach had been telling his team.

Mine and Bella's talk was going to be the moment of truth for us. It was definitely going to teach Bella and me something while at the same time putting everything we had worked for to the test.

And it was definitely—without a doubt—going to be scary as hell.

It fit so perfectly. It wasn't merely a talk that Bella and I were going to have—it was going to be a heartbreaking…eye-opening…life-changing moment.

And it was—from this moment on—going to be deemed… 'The Event.'

And Bella didn't even have a clue that it was going to happen yet.

_And could I have come up with a more creepy ass name?_

**

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**Author's Note:This chapter was really fun to write, which is a nice change from all the angst! I hope you all liked it :)**


	11. Faking It, Genuinely

_**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**_

**Author's Note: As always everyone's support is absolutely amazing! I'm really glad you guys enjoyed last chapter and how it was lighter. This one is as well. The next couple of chapters will not be very angsty since we are working our way up to 'The Event' ;)**

**I was listening to the radio the other day—as I was posting the last chapter, actually—and a song came on that I had never heard before. I was listening to the lyrics and I immediately thought of this story. The song is called 'The Scientist' by Coldplay. You guys should really listen to it if you haven't already and you will see what I mean. It fits in with this story really well and it is a beautiful song so definitely check that out!**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter! Xoxoxo :)**

* * *

_**Bella POV**_

"What did you get Edward for his birthday?" I asked Alice curiously while we were waiting for the waiter to bring us our lunch.

Edward's birthday was tomorrow and no one had brought it up. Not once. I knew it was because Edward wasn't a huge fan of having parties thrown in his honor—even though he had no problem making _me_ the center of attention on many occasions.

Because of this, however, the Cullens were planning a surprise party for him and for that reason, no one in the family mentioned his birthday—not even Edward himself.

I had been contemplating how to handle this situation for the last couple of days. I wasn't sure what I should get him, if anything at all. I knew I had to put on the charade of getting him a gift for the sake of the family, but I wasn't sure exactly where to cross the line.

"I got him this new pocket-sized PDA for work so he can write his whole schedule down in there instead of having to lug around notebooks all the time," Alice said excitedly, obviously proud of her gift choice. "What did you get him? Something appropriate for opening in front of the family, I hope." She grinned widely and gave me a suggestive look.

"Oh, um, well…" I shook my head and wondered if lying would be a good option at this point. "I actually have no idea what to get him," I blurted out. The truth was something I hadn't been using a lot lately, so I figured I could use the good karma.

"Well…what are your options?" she asked, sitting up straighter and going into full Alice-planning mode.

"Honestly? I have no effing clue. Everything I think of seems too lame or cliché."

She nodded contemplatively before her eyes grew wide and she smiled at me. "How about a new coffee maker," she suggested animatedly. "Edward loves coffee."

I raised an eyebrow at her incredulously. "A coffee maker," I repeated dully. "Alice, that's not even a _little_ sentimental."

"Oh, you want sentimental?" She smirked at me and brushed her short spiky hair aside before continuing, "Skimpy lingerie and massage oils. _There's_ your sentimental."

I shook my head and rolled my eyes at her as our food arrived. We thanked our waiter and waited for him to leave before resuming our conversation.

"I honestly do not know what you want from me, Bella," Alice sighed as she squirted some ketchup onto her French fries. "A coffee maker is too boring for you and a night of amazing sex is too much? I just…can't help you if you're not willing to compromise."

"I'm willing to compromise, Alice," I argued, growing frustrated with her lack of helpfulness in this situation. "But you're not exactly giving me anything useful to work with here and you know it."

She groaned and took a huge bite of her cheeseburger as she eyed me calculatingly. "Fine, you're right," she relented, putting her burger down. "I was half-assing it. Hunger was clouding my judgments."

I chuckled and shook my head at her excuse as I took a bite of my pastrami sandwich and chewed slowly and deliberately as I went through possible gift options in my head.

It was Edward's twenty-sixth birthday. It was a pretty big deal, even though he didn't want to make it one. And he would understand that we needed to put on a show for the family, so whatever gift I got him—no matter how embarrassing or awkward—would just have to be accepted without question because we were husband and wife…theoretically.

I chuckled darkly at that last part and quickly thought of yesterday.

Spending the entire day with Edward hadn't been as bad as I thought it was going to be. We didn't talk about the hard stuff and I actually enjoyed myself.

But there were times through out the day when he acted strange and I couldn't understand what was going through his head. Like when that guy James greeted me at the card shop. Edward's words still rang through my head.

"_It works both ways."_

It works both ways?

He couldn't honestly have been comparing the girls who stared at him with the guys who gazed at me? Those were completely different situations…I think.

I didn't really notice James' flirtation. I actually thought he was a little weird and he made me sort of uncomfortable. I did, however, notice those two girls snickering and batting their eyelashes at Edward when clearly he was with me.

But still, his words stuck to me. It wasn't the same thing, but now that I thought about it…it seemed very similar. Edward noticed James flirting with me, but I hardly did. And I always noticed girls coming onto Edward, but he claimed he didn't. Could it really work both ways as he had said?

I would admit, I noticed a few guys here and there giving me…'the eyes,' but it always made me uncomfortable and I would quickly look away or try my best to end any conversation started by bluntly mentioning that I was taken. Plus, I only had my eyes on

Edward. And he never said anything about them so obviously he didn't think it was a problem.

That was the difference.

I went to Edward and told him my concerns. If he had come to me with similar worries, I would have heard him out and tried my best to understand him and figure out a way to make the situation easier for him. I didn't want to hurt him.

That was what bugged me the most. If our situation was reversed, I wouldn't brush off Edward's distress about other guys coming onto me. I would do something about it. So why hadn't he?

That was the difference.

"_It works both ways."_

Yea, it did work both ways. But I never heard him complain once about any guy who hit on me so he couldn't just hit me with that bullshit now. It was _not _the same thing.

I so desperately wanted to hear is logic—to understand what made him look at things from that perspective, but I wasn't sure how or when or even _if_ I should bring that up. I doubted that it would be a pleasant conversation.

"…sitting in a thong on the beach with gorillas attacking."

I suddenly came back to the present when I heard Alice's last statement. I practically choked on my sandwich.

"What?" I asked, shocked, not sure if I had heard her correctly.

She smirked at me. "I knew you weren't paying attention," she said, shaking her head and popping a fry into her mouth.

I laughed and shook my head, clearing my mind of all these thoughts about Edward. They seemed to be taking up permanent residence in my head nowadays.

"Yea, I'm sorry. A lot on my mind," I murmured quietly.

She let out a gust of air and swallowed her bite slowly. "So back to the Edward convo…" she trailed off.

_No. No more talk about Edward. He was already all I ever thought about these days anyway._

"What are you going to do about the gift? His birthday is tomorrow," she said, stating the obvious.

I rolled my eyes and finished the last bite of my sandwich. "Thanks, Sherlock."

She sighed and paid for the meal when the waiter arrived. I tried arguing, but I knew it was a lost cause. Alice already had the receipt signed and her leftovers packed before I could even pull my wallet out of my purse.

"Why don't you…get him a puppy? Aw, Bella, I know he would love that! You could have a little baby in the house," Alice suggested excitedly as she locked arms with me and led me out into the cold, crisp Seattle air.

We started walking down the sidewalk where most of the shops were. I was looking in the windows, trying to find something to get Edward.

"I don't think a pet is a good idea right now," I worded carefully. I didn't want Edward to have to deal with the responsibility of caring for an animal since we didn't live together anymore. Alice didn't know that though, so I had to make sure to keep my excuses light.

"Fine," she huffed. I was surprised she didn't press the issue any longer.

"I'll find something," I added quickly. "It'll come to me. Tonight, hopefully," I grumbled.

Alice laughed and grabbed my hand as she led me into a boutique. "Yes, you will. In the meantime…I think a little retail therapy is in order!" She grinned widely at me and I didn't even have the energy to fight back.

XxXxX

"So…big day tomorrow," I murmured quietly as I turned the page in my book.

This had become our nightly ritual. Edward would get into bed and turn his lamp off, while mine would remained on for at least thirty minutes while I read, sitting beside him with my back against the headboard. Edward was always close to being asleep by the time I turned the light off, but I knew he never fell asleep until I lay down beside him.

When he didn't respond, I chanced a glance at him and saw he was looking at me with a somewhat shocked expression on his face.

"What?" I asked, suddenly self-conscious.

He sat up on his elbow abruptly, eyes still fixated on mine. "You remembered my birthday," he said quietly. It wasn't a question.

I stared at him confused for a minute before slowly nodding my head. "Yea…of course I did." I laughed slightly, wondering why the hell he was being all weird about something so trivial. "Edward, I've known you pretty much my whole life. Are you really that shocked?" I asked incredulously.

He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "I just figured…after everything…"

"What?" I asked disbelievingly. "You thought because we're separated that I just…forget things like that? Edward, your birthday is a big day. I wouldn't forget that." I paused and looked away, shaking my head and laughing humorlessly. "Frankly, I'm a little insulted.

"Bella," he started, sitting all the way up and leaning toward me. I looked at him and saw his expression was torn. "It's just…no one's brought it up…I'm sorry, this all sounds stupid now." He shook his head and looked away.

I sighed and shrugged. "I guess I kind of get it. I can see how I'd be the last one you'd expect to bring it up. But I couldn't forget your birthday…even if I wanted to." My heart clenched at the truth in my own words.

He chuckled darkly, but his eyes remained focused on his lap. "Yea? Why?"

I let out a gust of air, shaking my head to clear my thoughts. I wasn't sure what to say to him.

"Because it's…important," I spoke softly, hating how weak and vulnerable I sounded. "I always remember the important things."

_I remember everything about you,_ I added silently.

He finally looked up at me, his expression soft and understanding. "I'm sorry I offended you," he said sincerely.

"No need to apologize." I smiled reassuringly at him and he offered me a half-hearted one in return.

I turned the lamp on my bedside table off and put my book down as I finally got under the covers and lay on my back. Edward did the same and we both laid in silence for a while before he finally spoke again.

"Bella…" he started quietly.

I cleared my throat inconspicuously, not trusting my voice at the moment. "Yes, Edward?"

"I remember the important things, too," he murmured softly.

I smiled in spite of myself. "Such as…?" I pressed teasingly.

He chuckled into the darkness and I realized how much I had missed that sound. "A lot of things," he replied, evasive.

"My birthday?" I prompted.

"September 13th," he answered automatically.

"Favorite color?"

"It changes day by day…depending on your mood." His answer caught me off guard. I had said this to him before, but I couldn't believe something so unimportant had stuck with him this whole time. "What about _my_ favorite color?" he challenged.

"Blue," I replied, looking over at him and laughing softly. "You're such a guy."

He laughed and nodded. "Favorite hobby?"

"Playing the piano. Do you still do that, by the way?" I asked curiously. I had wondered for a while now, but had never found it in me to ask. He used to play several times a day and was always composing new pieces—it was his passion and he was amazing at it.

"Not really," he sighed. I could hear the regret and sadness in his voice. "I haven't been…inspired, I guess." He chuckled and I sensed no humor at all from it.

I nodded and almost instantaneously felt the light mood dissipate.

"Happy early birthday, Edward," I whispered into the darkness.

He laughed a genuine laugh before turning to lie on his side, facing me. "Don't remind me. I just hope no ones says anything."

"Obviously your family is going to wish you 'happy birthday,' Edward," I stated obviously.

He sighed. "I guess. At least they didn't plan anything like every other year."

I bit my lip to keep from blurting out that they had—in fact—planned something. And that he would probably hate everyone for it.

I, too, had helped in the planning process, but I was merely an accomplice, offering advice or suggestions when needed. Honestly, planning Edward's surprise party seemed bit intrusive. I felt like I had no place doing things like that anymore and I was surprised that this thought made me a little nauseous.

"You're right," I said instead. "Goodnight, Edward."

"Mmm…night, love," he whispered sleepily.

I looked at him shocked, but his eyes were closed and his breathing was even. I realized he was half-asleep.

Hearing him utter those words…those words that I had heard many nights before…did something to me. And I couldn't tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing. But now I knew exactly what I was getting Edward for his birthday.

XxXxX

Carlisle and Esme had gone all out in setting up the surprise party—we would all happily admit that they were the masterminds behind the entire thing. There were several family members present, but the rest of the party was made up of a lot of our friends from college as well as some from high school. And then there were friends of the family that hadn't been around in years.

I was in the kitchen, putting the large cake Esme had ordered on the counter when Alice came jumping in.

"Bella! Shots!"

I looked at her and rolled my eyes, smoothing down the midnight blue dress she had picked out for me. It wasn't too fancy and I got to wear my sandals so I wasn't complaining.

"Alice, the party hasn't even started yet and you're already trying to get drunk?" I asked incredulously

She put a bottle of vodka on the kitchen island and began pouring two shots as I walked over to stand beside her.

"Well, Edward is going to be really pissed when he comes home and finds out we threw him a surprise party, so…I'd rather be out of it when the yelling begins," Alice quipped back, raising her glass to me.

"Edward won't do that," I replied softly, staring down at my drink that was still sitting on the counter.

"What makes you so sure?" she demanded. "I've seen him when he gets mad. He can have quite a temper when he wants to."

_Oh, I know._

I looked up at her and sighed. "Because…he'll know how much effort you guys put into doing this for him and he's not going to be an ass about it."

She narrowed her eyes at me and I was slowly becoming uncomfortable under her scrutinizing gaze.

"You're biased," she accused quietly.

I tilted my head to the side and laughed slightly. "How?"

"Well, you love him. Obviously you only see his good traits. You're biased," she repeated.

I shook my head. "Alice, believe me, I see the bad things too."

"Oh yea?" she challenged, setting her shot glass down and crossing her arms over her chest. "Like what?"

I stared at her disbelievingly, my mouth hanging open. I immediately thought of the situation we were going through now, but I couldn't very well put that out there. I tried shuffling through other things in my head, but I came up absolutely blank. Edward wasn't a bad person…he just did something that pissed me off. Something that had hurt me.

"See!" Alice accused. "Nothing!"

"I can think of things, Alice, they're just personal things between Edward and me," I claimed defensively.

"Uh huh…" She nodded, unconvinced.

"Drinking, Bell?" Rose asked sarcastically as she and Emmett sauntered into the kitchen. "Are you sure that's such a good idea? Remember last time you and Edward—"

"You guys!" Esme's voice flitted into the kitchen, effectively cutting Rosalie off.

I smirked at her and gave her the infamous 'take that bitch' glare as Esme announced that Edward and Jasper had pulled up. Alice grabbed my hand excitedly and we walked into the dark and crowded living room. Alice pulled me into the corner with her and we waited until we could hear footsteps coming up to the front door.

"Alright, Edward, we are going in now," Jasper said loudly.

A few of us couldn't contain our laughter at how obvious Jasper was being. But Edward wouldn't catch on because he was absolutely positive that everyone had accepted his wishes and were not planning anything for him. Maybe Alice was right…shots might have helped.

The door slowly opened and Edward stepped inside. The house immediately lit up when someone turned the light switch on.

"SURPRISE!"

Edward's face was priceless. He stumbled back a bit and bumped into Jasper—who was in absolute hysterics from Edward's expression—and just stared at everyone with his mouth hanging open.

"Happy birthday, Edward!" Esme said happily, hugging him tightly since she was closest to the door.

"Th-Thanks, mom," he stammered uncomfortably. "Hi, everyone."

Everybody took turns wishing Edward a 'Happy Birthday' and I couldn't contain the giggles whenever he would shoot one of his parents or siblings a death glare.

Half of the guests went outside where Carlisle was having a barbecue and Emmett and Rosalie took a few of their friends out to see the lake. Edward finally detached himself from one of Carlisle's oldest friends and walked over to where Alice and I were standing with Jasper.

"Happy birthday, Edward!" Alice chirped happily, hugging her brother before pulling away and smiling brightly. He scowled in return. "Oh, get over it!" Alice reprimanded. "I made it up to you. Look what I had Bella wear. And it's all for you, Eddie boy."

I probably blushed three shades of red at Alice's comment. Seriously, that girl needed a muzzle.

I chanced a glance at Edward and saw that he was looking me up and down before his eyes finally landed on mine. His scowl was gone.

"Happy birthday, Edward," I murmured as sweetly as I could.

He smiled slightly at me before I realized that Alice and Jasper were standing right there and were probably waiting for some act of affection from the two of us. Edward seemed to realize this at the same time I did because just as I stepped in to kiss his cheek, he leaned forward and put his arm around my waist…and kissed my lips.

I moaned quietly into his mouth and kissed him back gently before he pulled away too quickly and looked at me with a slight glint in his eyes.

"Thank you, love," he whispered, kissing my nose before looking at Alice and Jasper. "Care to tell me whose idea this whole thing was?" Edward demanded, keeping his arm firmly around my waist.

Alice shrugged and giggled. "It's your twenty-sixth birthday, Edward. You didn't really think we would just brush it off, did you?" she asked, smirking.

Edward huffed and shook his head, turning his gaze to me. He was smoldering. "Do you want a drink, Bella?" he asked quietly. I nodded wordlessly.

"Hey! You didn't want to drink with me!" Alice whined angrily.

I looked at her and opened my mouth to say something, but Edward beat me to it.

"She was waiting for me," he said smoothly, grabbing my hand and leading me toward the kitchen, Alice glowering behind us. Jasper chuckled and effectively coaxed her into going outside with him.

We got into the kitchen and Edward dropped my hand as he walked to the counter and grabbed the first bottle of wine he could get his hands on. I grabbed two glasses and met him at the counter.

"Shit, I need a drink," he sighed, pouring both of us a glass.

I laughed quietly and took a sip of mine. "They're just trying to be nice, Edward. It'll be over before you know it," I said reassuringly.

He looked up at me for a minute before nodding and taking a sip of his wine. "I guess I'm just not in the partying mood right now."

I nodded dumbly and swirled my drink around in my glass for a couple of seconds before finally looking up at him. He was staring out the window where everyone else was hanging out by the barbecue, seemingly lost in thought.

"But seriously, happy twenty-sixth birthday. How does it feel?" I teased.

He broke out of his trance and offered me my favorite crooked smile. "Well twenty-five was one hell of a year, I'll give you that."

My mouth opened slightly—I didn't want to say anything, I was just trying to process his meaning. It _had_ been one hell of a year…for both of us.

"Yea, well…another year starts now, so…to new beginnings," I said, holding up my wine glass.

He gazed at me intently for a minute before nodding curtly and softly clinking his glass with mine. "New beginnings," he murmured, taking another sip of his wine and keeping his eyes on me.

"Edward!" Carlisle called as he walked into the kitchen. "Come on, you two, we're about to eat." He smiled brightly at us and waited. Edward took my hand and led me outside where the rest of the party had ventured off to.

We spent the rest of the night talking and mingling with everybody. Edward kept me by his side the entire night and I found that it was actually getting easier pretending to still be with him. It seemed easier for Edward, too. And that was scaring me. Either we were just so devious that it didn't phase us to lie to our family anymore or…we weren't faking as much as we used to.

The second possibility was just as frightening as the first. But if I was being honest with myself, I was having a harder time differentiating between what was real and what wasn't anymore.

Like the kiss in the living room. Was that real? It felt real to me. But was it real to Edward? Or was he just doing it for Alice and Jasper's sake? These questions were driving me insane and I didn't have anyone to turn to.

The one who knew—the one I would have gone to had she not been such a bitch about it—was Rosalie. She and Emmett were the only two who understood the situation, but they weren't an option. And that fucking pissed me off. Friends were supposed to be there for you and help you no matter what—not play games with you.

The party slowly winded down and more and more guests started leaving shortly after we had cake. Finally, it was just the eight of us left to clean up the enormous mess.

"Leave it for tomorrow. Edward, come open the presents we bought you," Esme said sweetly.

Edward had opened presents from everyone through out the evening, but the ones from all of us had been saved until we were alone.

Alice went first, clearly excited with her gift choice.

"Whoa, thank you, Alice," Edward said sincerely, beaming at her and kissing her head gently.

"I thought it would come in handy," she replied, taking the box that had the PDA in it and looking at it adoringly—she loved buying things for people.

"Me next!" Emmett announced. "Rosie and I…bought you and Bella…tickets to the symphony! We know how much you've been wanting to go, Edward, and it's in a week so…there you go." He and Rosalie seemed to be smiling genuinely at the two of us, but I could sense the underlying tension fill the room.

"Thanks, guys," Edward answered half-heartedly.

"Yea, that's amazing," I said as nicely as I could, smiling at the two of them and running my hand through Edward's hair gently. I had to keep reminding myself to do these little things because I knew someone would notice something was off if Edward and I never touched each other at all.

Edward smiled at me—what seemed like a genuine smile—and took the hand that was running through his hair and kissed my palm gently, causing my breathing to hitch slightly.

"Okay, enough," Alice complained jokingly. "Bella, you have all night to give Edward his _real_ birthday present." She smirked at us knowingly, causing me to blush—again. "But for now…how about the family friendly gift?" she teased.

I cleared my throat uncomfortably and took the small, wrapped rectangle that Carlisle handed me. He smiled sympathetically at my embarrassment.

Suddenly I felt nervous. My present…well…it wasn't exactly a PDA or tickets to the symphony, but it was something that I thought Edward would appreciate. Maybe even like. It was the thought that counted…right?

"Here," I said, my voice wavering slightly as I handed it to him.

He smiled at me and took it, unwrapping it slowly before furrowing his eyebrows and looking down at the leather bound journal.

"You told me you haven't been inspired to write music in a while," I started quietly, hating that all eyes in the room were on me—except Edward, who was still looking down at the journal. "I saw this and…it looks just like the one you kept in high school…where you used to write down all of your ideas, so I thought that maybe…this would inspire you to write again."

It was extremely quiet in the room, but I heard Esme gasp quietly and I saw her place a hand over her heart from the corner of my eye and lean into Carlisle. Edward was still staring down at the journal intently and I was getting more and more nervous.

"I know it's not…the most amazing—"

"No, Bella, it's perfect," Edward interrupted me, looking up at me and smiling softly. I could see it in his eyes—he actually liked it. "Thank you," he whispered, his eyes darting to my lips. My breathing picked up slightly and I'm sure everyone noticed.

"Oh, just kiss her already!" Jasper bellowed, putting his arm around Alice as she giggled.

I laughed shakily and shook my head, trying my best not to blush for fear of remaining permanently red for the rest of my life.

"Come on, Bella, we won't mind. Give him a birthday kiss!" Esme cheered. I could not believe Edward's mother was actually pressuring me into kissing her son right in front of her.

I continued staring at Edward and he noticed my hesitance. I was put on the spot—something I detested—and I really had no idea what to do.

"Are you waiting for an invitation, Bella? Kiss him!" Rosalie egged on, smiling what seemed to be—for the first time in days—a non-evil smile.

"Yea, Bella," Edward whispered as his eyes danced from my eyes to my lips. "Kiss me."

I swallowed the enormous lump in my throat before finally leaning in and pressing my lips to his. His family started clapping and cheering around us and I couldn't help but smile against his lips.

Edward brought his hand up to cup my cheek gently as he continued kissing me, his soft lips moving in synch with my own.

"Okay! Break it up, you two!" Jasper complained jokingly, throwing a small pillow at us. It hit me roughly on the head.

I pulled away and rubbed the side of my head before glaring at him. "Jasper, what the hell?" I demanded, rubbing the sore spot.

He just laughed loudly and shook his head. "I'm sorry! I had to stop before you two defiled Esme and Carlisle's couch!"

My mouth dropped open at that, but Carlisle effectively ended the awkward situation by getting the present that he and Esme had gotten for Edward.

We spent a little while longer sitting there talking and laughing as Edward thanked everyone for their gifts. Esme and Carlisle were the first to head to bed—they were exhausted seeing as it was almost two in the morning.

"So party wasn't so bad after all, right Edward?" Alice quipped as she stood up and stretched.

Edward sighed and shrugged. "Wasn't horrible," he teased.

Jasper stood up and swiftly picked Alice up, causing her to squeal loudly. "Alright, I'm taking my future wife upstairs and doing naughty things to her," Jasper teased as he sprinted upstairs.

Emmett and Edward both grimaced at the thought of their little sister doing…naughty things, and Rosalie and I just laughed.

"Happy birthday, Edward!" Alice and Jasper called in unison once they reached their bedroom. The door closed and then it was just the four of us…again. I really hoped Emmett and Rosalie could act civil for one night.

"They're like a couple of monkeys," Rosalie laughed as she sat on the couch next to Emmett.

I laughed and nodded, deciding to pick up all of the ripped wrapping paper off the floor. Rosalie started helping me after a while and we placed everything in a plastic bag.

"Ah, yes. Tis the life. The women doing all of the work," Emmett cooed, placing his hands behind his head and leaning back to watch us.

"You're an ass," Rosalie bit back, picking up a pillow and hurling it at his head.

"Mmm…I love_ your_ ass, Rosie," Emmett said in a low voice, causing me to almost gag.

"Well, keep acting like a chauvinistic pig and you're never going to see it again," Rosalie replied, her mouth turning up into a partial smile.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes as Rosalie and I set the plastic bags with trash in them by the front door for someone to take out in the morning.

"I'm tired, Emmett. Take me to bed," Rosalie teased, smiling seductively at him.

Emmett saluted her before turning to Edward and patting his shoulder. "Happy birthday, man."

Edward smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Em. Night you guys."

"Night, Edward," Rosalie said, walking over and kissing Edward's cheek. "Happy birthday." Rosalie took Emmett's hand and the two of them headed upstairs.

I looked down at Edward and saw that he seemed just as surprised as I was about Rosalie and Emmett's courteous behavior.

"I think they're being nice…because it's your birthday," I reasoned, smiling slightly as I sat down next to him.

He chuckled and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "I know, but it's nice when they're nice." He laughed and shook his head before looking up at me. He was staring at me with that smoldering expression again and I found myself becoming flustered…again.

"So…you really like your present?" I asked, unsure. "I didn't know what to get you…if anything…and…"

"It's prefect, Bella," he replied sincerely. "Thank you."

I smiled slightly at him and nodded before standing up and stretching.

"Tired?" he asked softly.

I nodded. "Yea, long day."

"Sure was," he agreed quietly, standing up and following me upstairs.

We did our nightly routine—brushed our teeth, got dressed separately, and headed to bed. I was just finishing the last chapter of my book when I realized I hadn't brought a water cup up with me. I looked over at Edward and saw that his eyes were closed and his breathing was somewhat even, but I could tell he was still not fast asleep. I got up from the bed slowly and he shifted a little bit before opening his eyes and looking at me.

"What is it, love?" he asked sleepily.

Again with the love. That was the second time he had said it in a sleep-induced haze. I knew it was because he was half-asleep while saying it, but then why did it…do something to me?

"I'm just going to get water, Edward. Go back to sleep," I whispered. He nodded before rubbing his hand over his face and cuddling back into the bed.

I sighed and walked out of the bedroom slowly, careful not to wake anyone, and headed down to the kitchen. I was surprised that the light was on and that Emmett was sitting at the kitchen counter, digging into a slice of leftover birthday cake.

"Hungry, Em?" I joked as I walked to the cabinet and grabbed a glass before going to the fridge and getting water.

He looked up at me and chuckled softly. "I always get hungry after…you know…" he trailed off suggestively.

I stopped pouring water for a second, trying to get the mental image of him and Rosalie out of my head, before shaking my head and filling my glass all the way. I took a sip before glancing at him.

"Well, night," I said quickly, walking back toward the stairs.

"Bella," Emmett called quietly.

I halted my steps and turned around to look at him. "Yes?"

"Come here."

I sighed and walked over to him slowly, knowing he was going to say something that I didn't want to hear.

"What?" I asked, annoyance evident in my tone.

"You kissed Edward tonight," he stated.

I laughed without humor. "Yea, well everyone was basically cheering me on so I kinda didn't have a choice."

He shook his head and I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion before he spoke. "No…I mean…you _kissed_ Edward tonight," he said slowly and deliberately.

I stared at him confused, seeing as he had just repeated himself. "Yea, I know, Em, you said that." I was becoming more frustrated with him by the minute.

"Okay, let me explain. You kissed Edward tonight—" He put his hand up when he saw me open my mouth to interrupt. "You kissed Edward tonight," he continued. "It wasn't a hoax…it wasn't for pretend…and it wasn't fake. It was real, and it was all you guys."

I stared at him dumfounded for a minute, processing what he was saying and not knowing what the hell to do with it.

"Are you sure you guys are still faking it?" he asked me after a few moments of silence had passed.

"Yes," I answered too quickly. He noticed.

"Really? Because…I don't think so," he accused.

"Oh, yea? Is Rose filling you with all this bullshit information, Emmett?" I demanded angrily.

"Actually, no. Funny thing is…she didn't even mention it."

"So what?" I shrugged, becoming defensive.

"Nothing." He shrugged nonchalantly before picking up his plate and placing it in the sink. He leaned back on the counter and stared at me. "Just thought I would put in my two cents." He paused for a minute eyeing me, speculating. I hadn't seen Emmett this serious…ever. "I think you know, Bella," he said, smiling cheekily at me.

"Know what?" I asked, genuinely confused.

"That you're not faking it anymore." His smile was practically blinding as he brushed past me, almost knocking me over when his should bumped into me, and headed back upstairs.

I stood there in the middle of the kitchen with my arms crossed over my chest, staring at where Emmett was just standing. I chuckled darkly, shaking my head at his words. He didn't know what the hell he was talking about.

I walked over to the sink and picked up the plate he had just put in and began washing it. I needed something to get my mind off of everything.

"_I think you know, Bella…_

…_You're not faking it anymore."_

And just like that, the plate fell from my hands and into the sink. The sound was loud as it echoed through the walls of the kitchen, but I couldn't care less. It was then that I, myself, realized something…

I wasn't sure if I was faking it anymore.

* * *

**Author's Note: Emmett can be sensitive when he wants to be :)**


	12. Breathe

_**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**_

**Author's Note: You guys are awesome for sticking to my story. I know it's hard to read—trust me, it's really hard to write. I sometimes just want to get right to the good stuff, but I have this story outlined a certain way and in the end, I think it will turn out a lot better.**

*****Some good news, though. I stated this in the forums, but I don't know if everyone visits it so here it is again: I was editing the outline to this story the other day and due to some changes that have occurred in the story—it's beyond my control since the story pretty much writes itself—the turning point has been moved to Chapter 14. I don't think I will change it again so I hope that makes everyone a little happier. Also, as of now this story is expected to be 28 chapters long and that is including the epilogue, so it is kind of perfect that the climax is halfway through the story. The story might turn out to be longer (I doubt it would be shorter), but for now that's just a heads up!**

**And you guys have been doing an amazing job so far with being patient with me and I thank you dearly for that! Just a couple more chapters until the main event! Thank you so much for your support and enjoy this chapter! :)**

* * *

_**Edward POV**_

Extraordinary.

That was the only way to describe my birthday. And it was all because of Bella.

I was so touched that she had even gotten me a gift for my birthday, but that wasn't the extraordinary part. It was _what_ she had gotten me. It was perfect and I had never been more inspired to write a musical piece in my entire life. She inspired me. She always inspired me. She was my muse and I wasn't sure if she even knew it.

And I couldn't forget that kiss. My lips still tingled when I thought about it. It was absolutely amazing. I wanted to thank every person in that room who pressured Bella into kissing me because it was one of the best moments of my life. At that moment everything felt right. It was as if we were really still together…happily married…sharing a passionate kiss in front of my family.

But once we got into bed that night and lay on our separate sides with the invisible wall up between us, it slowly sunk in that none of it was real...no matter how much I desperately wanted it to be.

I wanted to have my happily every after with Bella, but how could I do that when we never truly talked about our problems? I had originally planned on bringing it up yesterday, but then my family had to go and throw me a damn surprise party. The worst part was that it actually made me reconsider. Bella seemed to finally be happy and I didn't want to take that away from her so soon.

I knew our talk would create tension—it was inevitable—but the wait could definitely be prolonged. Maybe I could just enjoy my time with her a little while longer. She may be pretending…but I sure as hell wasn't anymore. And I would take what I could get for as long as I could get it...and when the time came, I would finally sit down with her and 'The Event' would take place.

For now I would enjoy this.

I was lazing in bed, staring out the large window that led to the balcony while Bella breathed evenly beside me. I heard my phone vibrate on the night stand beside my bed and I quickly grabbed it and quietly got out of bed, walking out to the balcony and softly shutting the door behind me. I looked at the caller i.d. and my heart immediately plummeted into my stomach.

It was Felix. Our divorce lawyer.

I took a deep breath and answered. "Hello?" My voice wavered slightly.

"Good morning, Mr. Cullen. How are you?" Felix replied pleasantly. He was a really good man and I probably would have enjoyed his company if the time spent with him wasn't to finalize the divorce papers for me and the love of my life.

"Hey, Felix. What can I do for you?" I asked warily, not sure why he was calling me so early.

"I was looking over the files this morning and I just wanted to let you know that you and Bella can finally sign the papers now and get them approved. You have to do it within the next two weeks otherwise you would have to wait another eight months. Would you mind if I sent the papers out to you parent's lake house like we discussed? You two can sign them and send them in. Piece of cake," he finished with a chuckle. Felix was always trying to make light of the situation, seeing as it was a pretty fucking hard situation to be in.

We had told Felix we were going to my parent's lake house for four weeks with the knowledge that our divorce papers would be coming in any day now. We were both expecting this to happen, but that didn't mean I was any more prepared for it.

We also agreed that the papers could be mailed to the lake house where we would sign them and send them in. But now…fuck…I couldn't do this now. I needed to talk to Bella first. Maybe we could put it off…work through things…get on good terms before we made this decision.

"Uh, yea, sure, Felix. That's fine," I replied flatly.

I made up my mind that I would just hide the papers until Bella and I talked. Then we could both sit down and figure out where we wanted to go from there. Even if we had to wait another eight months—if we missed the deadline the first time around—then we could spend that time rebuilding at least a friendship between us…if anything.

_Friends._

There's that fucking word again.

It killed me to even think about just being friends with Bella. The thought was an impossibility. A laughable—yet fucking humorless—impossibility.

_Focus on the now._

"Great," Felix said, sounding a bit disappointed. This confused me slightly, but I decided not to call him out on it. "The papers should be delivered within the next week. Make sure to fill them out immediately and send them back to the return address on the envelope. Any questions, just call my office. You have a good day, Edward, and tell Bella I said hi."

"Of course, Felix. Thank you." It was a little fucking weird thanking someone for ending my marriage, but I knew it wasn't his fault. He hadn't caused this.

I said my goodbyes to Felix before opening the balcony door and walking back into the room. Bella was sitting up in bed, rubbing at her eyes sleepily. She sensed my presence and looked up at me.

"Morning," I said softly, smiling slightly at her as I walked over to my nightstand and plugged my cell phone back into its charger.

"Good morning," she replied quietly. "Where'd you go?"

I paused and contemplated my response. I didn't want her to know the divorce papers were being sent to us because I didn't want her to speed up the process anymore than necessary. I decided to lie.

"One of my colleagues called. I told them to call me if they needed anything. He just had a question," I replied smoothly as I sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her.

She nodded and sighed, running a hand through her hair—a habit she had picked up from me.

"Thanks again for yesterday, Bella. That journal means a lot to me," I said sincerely. It really had meant a lot to me. I couldn't wait to use the piano in my parent's den so I could start composing immediately.

She smiled sweetly at me before waving her hand dismissively. "It was nothing, honestly. I just figured I should get you something you would use so…" she trailed off.

"Either way, I'm grateful."

She smiled at me again before sighing and standing up. "I'm kind of starving. Do you want to go downstairs and see what there is to eat?" she asked me shyly.

I nodded—probably a little too eagerly—and stood up, wordlessly following her downstairs where the smell of food being cooked was already prominent in the air. We rounded the corner and saw Jasper and Alice in the kitchen, working away making waffles, eggs, and bacon.

I thought that everyone had work today, seeing as that is what they had told us, so I was surprised Alice and Jasper was home. I was actually looking forward to being home alone with Bella again. I thought we could finally talk.

_Why does 'The Event' keep getting fucking cock-blocked?_

Alice turned around to go the fridge when she saw Bella and I standing in the entryway of the kitchen.

"Morning, sleepy heads!" Alice chirped happily. "Bet your excited to see us. We made you breakfast!"

_Shit. Alice wanted something._

"Whatever it is, Alice, the answer is no," Bella stated firmly, almost as if she had read my exact thoughts. She walked over to the counter and sat at one of the barstools. I followed slowly after her, sitting in the barstool beside her.

Alice's face fell as she put food on four plates. She and Jasper stood across from us and ate as Bella and I remained seated on our stools.

"You know me so well," Alice huffed. "Well Jasper and I—" Jasper cleared his throat and Alice looked at him and rolled her eyes before shaking her head and looking back at us. "Okay, _I_," she started again, "was wondering if you guys would be so kind as to come with Jazz and I to register for wedding gifts. Please, Bells? I need your advice and my mom and Rosalie are at work so…you're my only hope."

"Thanks, Alice, I feel so honored," Bella replied sarcastically, causing me to laugh.

Alice sighed and rolled her eyes again. "Are you going to make me beg? Cuz I will, Bella. And you and Edward will get so annoyed that you'll have no choice but to finally say yes," she said smugly.

"Don't be so confident, Ali," I retorted playfully.

"Come on, you guys. When we get back…Jazz and I will even take you guys out on the boat. It's supposed to be really sunny and nice today and it'll be a lot of fun. Please?" Her eyes went wide and she gave us the puppy dog pout.

"Fine," Bella finally relented. "I'll go and offer my opinion, but remember I'm not Martha freakin Stewart, so don't expect me to be very helpful."

"Oh, I don't," Alice deadpanned, causing Bella to glare at her.

"Thanks, Bells," Jasper breathed in relief. "Now I can hang out with Edward and not have to be dragged around stores all day."

"Oh, yes you do," Alice clarified firmly. "They," she said, gesturing between Bella and me, "are coming for moral support. You on the other hand are staying by my side all day. It is our wedding after all, Jasper. Don't you want a say in what we register?"

"No, not really," he replied quickly.

Alice opened her mouth, but nothing came out. For once she was speechless. And I didn't even have a fucking camera.

XxXxX

"Oooookay, so how about this for silverware?" Alice asked, holding up another set for Bella to look at. Jasper and I both chuckled and shook our heads.

"That one…looks exactly the same as the other one, Alice," Bella replied warily, probably afraid to piss Alice off.

Alice simply rolled her eyes. "It's a different design, Bells. Now, Jasper?" Jasper's eyes widened and he looked like a man about to walk on death row. "What do you think of the silverware?" she asked.

"It's perfect, darling. Anything you want," he said smoothly.

_Kiss ass._

"Kiss ass," Bella mumbled.

I looked at her, shocked. She took the fucking words right out of my mouth.

Jasper just chuckled and shook his head as Alice gave him a quick kiss on the lips and continued looking at plates and silverware.

"Fun day, huh?" I asked Bella sarcastically as Alice and Jasper walked over to the other side of the store.

Bella looked at me and sighed. "I want to help her, but…I'm just not that good at this sort of thing," she said regretfully, crossing her arms and biting her lip.

"Hey," I said softly, placing my hand on the small of her back. I felt her stiffen before she relaxed slightly. "You just being here means a lot to her. You know that. Alice is just in…wedding mode. But you know she's grateful. And you're doing fine," I finished gently.

She looked up at me again and smiled slightly. "I know…thank you."

I nodded just as Alice danced over to us holding what looked like a champagne glass.

"Yes? No?" Alice asked of both of us, holding the glass up for us to examine.

"It's perfect," Bella and I said at the exact same time. We both looked at each other and burst into quiet laughter as Alice muttered, "Freaking lunatics," and walked over to Jasper.

After we finished registering Alice and Jasper for wedding gifts, we went to a restaurant nearby and had some lunch. I was extremely worried that it was going to be hard being around Alice and Jasper without them noticing something was off with Bella and me, but it was pleasantly simple. And by simple I didn't mean that it was simple to fake it for them, but that it was getting easier and easier to be with Bella.

I had to face the reality of it. Who in the hell was I trying to even fool? I wasn't pretending anymore and I'm pretty sure Bella knew it. She had to know it—feel it.

I wondered if she was still faking. I wondered if maybe when she touched my hand casually in passing…or kissed my lips for show…or laughed at one of my jokes…if she was just doing it for Alice and Jasper's sake, or if she was truly, genuinely happy around me.

_God, I hoped._

As promised, Alice and Jasper told us to go get ready to go on the boat once we returned to the lake house. It was still early afternoon and a pleasantly sunny day in Seattle so we were going to make the most of it.

Bella went into the bathroom and changed into her swimsuit while I stayed in the bedroom and put on my trunks and a t-shirt. She walked out a few minutes later wearing a white sun dress. Her black bikini was visible through the thin material and her hair was pulled up into a messy bun, exposing her beautiful neck.

"Ready?" she asked me sweetly.

I nodded, breaking out of my haze as she started walking toward the door.

"Bella," I called after her, grabbing the bottle of what I knew she would need from my suitcase. "You should put sun block on. You burn easily."

She turned and looked at me surprised. But her eyes also showed another emotion. She seemed touched by the gesture as she smiled shyly and took the bottle from me.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

We both walked downstairs and out the back door toward the steps that led down to the lake. Alice and Jasper were already on the boat getting everything set up. I helped Bella get in so she wouldn't fall before hopping in myself. Jasper quickly started the engine soon after and we were off.

I was sitting next to Alice while Jasper was showing Bella how to steer the boat. My heart would flutter every time I heard her laugh or say something funny to Jasper because I knew that she was actually happy. And that made me smile.

"Beer?" Alice offered, handing me a bottle. I graciously accepted and took a long swig before looking at my baby sister.

"Oh! Tomorrow night is the banquet dinner for Emmett's advertisement agency," Alice suddenly said. "He wanted me to tell you guys. A lot of their companies are going to be there and it's supposed to be really fun. Don't tell Bella, but I already bought her a dress and it's going to look perfect on her." She grinned evilly, taking a small sip of her own beer.

"Is this a black tie event?" I asked, hoping it wasn't. I had to wear a suit to work pretty much everyday so it was nice getting a break for a few weeks.

"Of course, Edward. And the whole family will be there to support Em so you better dress to impress. His colleagues will be there, too, obviously. He's been doing such a great job. We're all really proud of him." She murmured the last part with a faraway look in her eyes. I could tell how proud she was of Emmett.

I was proud of him, too. I sometimes hated being so far away from my family at times because it killed me not seeing them everyday. I knew Emmett was doing a great job at his advertisement agency since we talked on the phone several times a week, but I still wished I could be here for him at times. He was my big brother and I looked up to him.

"I'm proud of him, too," I said. It came out sounding sadder than I intended.

"Hey," Alice chided playfully. "We're all proud of you, Edward. You made it big as a lawyer at such a young age…"

"I know, Alice, that's not what I meant," I interrupted softly. "I just…miss you guys. I love living in New York, don't get me wrong, but my whole family is here…Bella's dad lives in Forks. I just hate being so far away sometimes."

Alice smiled at me sympathetically and wrapped her arm around my shoulder, hugging me tightly. "Just visit more, Edward. We would love that."

I smiled at her and hugged her tightly as Jasper called her to take over for Bella. I chuckled and released her as Bella walked over to us and took the seat where Alice had just been, right beside me—I wasn't going to lie, that surprised me. There was plenty of space on the boat so she could have easily sat anywhere else.

_She's doing it for show. It's all for show._

The reality crept back in. Funny. It always had a way of doing that.

"Can you rub some sun block on my back?" Bella suddenly asked softly, holding the bottle out to me nervously.

I looked at her—she was shocking the hell out of me a lot today—and nodded wordlessly, taking the bottle from her and squirting some lotion onto my hands. She turned a bit in her seat so that her back was to me and held her hair up out of the way.

I applied the lotion to her back slowly and gently, making it last for as long as possible. I selfishly drew out the moment a little longer than necessary, but Bella remained patient the entire time as I made sure to rub the sun block into her skin.

After a few amazing minutes of rubbing her back, I finally had to pull away. There was only so much masochism I could take for one day.

"Thanks, Edward," she said, turning back around to face me as I set the bottle back down.

I looked at her and smiled softly, wishing at that moment that I could just say everything I needed to say to her—just lay it all out on the table. So I decided enough was enough. I was sick of being scared. It was time to bite the bullet.

"Bella," I started nervously. "Can we…talk later?"

She seemed confused and a bit taken aback, but a flash of understanding quickly passed through her eyes before it disappeared just as swiftly. She nodded wordlessly. I smiled tentatively at her just as Alice and Jasper called us both over to look at the lake where there was some sort of swim meet going on.

"You go. I get nauseous if I stand too close to the edge," she said softly, smiling at me encouragingly.

I smiled back at her and nodded before standing up and walking to the very front of the boat where Alice and Jasper were watching a few people racing. I tried focusing on them and on what Alice and Jasper were saying, but all I could focus on was my talk with Bella.

I could not believe she had agreed to talk to me. That was the part I was most worried about. I was afraid she wouldn't even allow me to initiate any sort of discussion with her relating to our problems, but she shocked the hell out of me—yet again—and agreed.

I wasn't sure when it was going to take place, but just the knowledge that we both knew it was coming was enough to have me grinning like an idiot as I gazed out onto the lake, not really even looking at the swimmers. All I could think about was Bella…what I would say to her…what she would say to me. And what it would mean for us in the end.

It was at that moment that I was brought out of my haze…because suddenly I heard her scream.

I didn't even think. I immediately turned around and to my horror, I saw Bella about fifty yards away from the boat. She was in the lake. She didn't know how to swim. And she didn't even have a life vest on. Beside her, I saw what could only be a small girl, clingy to her. The little girl didn't have a life vest on, either.

I scanned the rest of the lake and spotted the boat that the little girl probably belonged to about thirty yards off to the left. The parents of the child were frantically steering the boat in their direction and I could hear Alice and Jasper panicking and doing the same thing, but all I saw was Bella struggling to hold the little girl above water while she, herself, was practically drowning.

I didn't think about my next move. I didn't even think to take my shirt off as I kicked off my sandals and dove head first into the freezing water. It didn't take long for me to swim to her. She was having trouble staying above water and the little girl in her arms was crying violently, clinging to Bella for dear life as Bella struggled to remain above the water's surface. I grabbed Bella's waist as soon as I reached her and held her up while I kicked my feet furiously to keep us afloat.

"Bella," I gasped, my breathing erratic. "You're okay. Alright, baby? You're going to be okay."

She nodded at me furiously as she shivered, her teeth chattering together violently. I knew she was freezing and was probably going to go into shock just from the incident alone.

The parents of the child's boat reached us first and I immediately took the little crying girl from Bella's hands and swam the couple of feet to the boat. Her mother cried and she and her husband thanked us profusely as I gave them their daughter.

"Don't worry about it," I replied absentmindedly, quickly going back to Bella's side and securing my arms around her waist once again.

"Thank you so much!" her mother cried, clutching onto her daughter.

I looked at Bella and her teeth were still chattering together as she looked past me to where Alice and Jasper had finally reached us. I denied the couple's offer of repaying us and told them not to worry about it as I helped Bella get onto the boat. I didn't want any rewards and I knew Bella didn't either. All I wanted was to make sure that Bella was going to be okay.

I climbed onto the boat as Alice and Jasper huddled around Bella. She was lying on her back on the boat—not moving—just staring up at the sky. Her eyes didn't seem to be focused on anything.

"Bella? Bella!" I called frantically, crouching down beside her and shaking her a little bit as I brushed the wet strands of hair from her face.

"Edward, what's wrong with her?!" Alice cried, panicking.

"Fuck!" I yelled, exasperated. "She's in shock, Alice. Bella, can you breathe? Please, love, answer me!" I yelled desperately.

Bella turned her shocked gaze to me. "Edward?" she rasped out.

"I'm here," I sighed, wrapping my arms around her to keep her arm. "I'm here. Fuck, Bella…you scared the living shit out of me." My voice shook slightly as I spoke.

"What were you doing in the water, Bella?" Alice asked worriedly as Bella continued to quiver in my arms. I grabbed one of the towels and wrapped it tightly around her, holding her close to me.

"Little girl...fell…parents weren't looking…no one was paying attention…too loud…had to…s-s-save her….I can't swim…" she stammered out.

"Oh, Bella," Alice breathed, kissing her forehead and hugging her tightly. It was a little difficult since I didn't let her go.

Alice pulled away and rubbed Bella's arms to create friction as Jasper walked over to us.

"Come on. I called Carlisle and he's waiting for us at the hospital. He thinks it's a good idea to get her checked out just in case," Jasper said, helping me get Bella off the ground.

"You should carry her, Edward," Alice said, concern evidence in her voice.

I nodded and picked Bella up easily and carried her to Jasper's car. The ride to the hospital didn't take too long. I sat in the back with Bella lying in my lap—seat belt laws be damned. I held her close to me, rubbing her arms up and down to keep her warm.

I thought I was going to lose her. When I saw her in the water, all I could think about was that she didn't know how to swim. I thought she and the little girl were going to drown.

The fact that she had jumped in—despite not knowing how to swim—just to save that little girl made me feel so much respect for her. She had put her life on the line for a complete stranger.

Carlisle was waiting at the hospital for us and quickly got Bella checked into her own room, examining her vitals and blood pressure just to make sure she was okay. The water had been extremely cold and she had obviously swallowed an excessive amount of water, but she was going to be fine.

Carlisle came out a few minutes later to tell us she was resting on the bed and that she was going to be released in a couple of hours. She had been in shock shortly after the incident, but had quickly recovered and was breathing normally again.

"Can I see her?" I asked, running a hand through my hair nervously.

"Of course, Edward," my father replied, putting a hand on my back reassuringly.

I nodded and walked past him to her room, opening the door and stepping in without any warning. Bella was lying on the bed in the scrubs the doctors had given her since her clothes were soaked. Her eyes were open and she had been watching the door, as if expecting a visitor.

"Hey," I said, my voice wavering slightly. I still couldn't get the image of her helpless in the water out of my mind.

"Edward," she breathed, holding her hand out to me. Her eyes were red-rimmed and I knew she had been crying.

I quickly walked over to her and didn't hesitate to lean over and wrap my arms around her tightly, breathing in the scent of her hair.

"I was so scared, Edward," she whispered, her voice shaking slightly. "No one heard me screaming. I thought I was going to drown. All I could think about was saving that little girl. Just…making sure she would be okay…" Her voice broke on the last part and she began sobbing quietly in my arms.

"I thought I was going to lose you for a second," I whispered. "You were so far away." I wasn't just talking about how far she had been from the boat, but the state she was in on the way to the hospital. She had been in shock and was staring off into space like a zombie, shaking furiously in my arms the entire way. She wouldn't even respond to anything anyone said to her.

I felt her nod against me before she pulled away and lay back down on the bed. I brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her forehead, lingering there a little longer than necessary.

"Thank you for saving me…again," she said quietly, smiling weakly at me.

I pulled back and smiled crookedly at her. "Always."

At that moment, all I wanted to do was tell her how much I loved her. Even though she thought I was the one saving her, she was in fact the one saving _me_…just by breathing she saved me. She gave me something to live for.

But she needed to rest. And I needed to think. She meant more to me than the world over and I decided at that moment that I didn't want to talk for the sake of leaving things on good terms. I wanted to fix this—us. I wanted to be with her forever and I didn't care how long it took to convince her that I needed to be with her. I would spend the rest of my life doing that. Even if she moved on, found someone else, grew old with someone else, I would never disappear. I would always be there on the sidelines waiting because she was the only one for me.

I didn't care if I wasn't the only one for her.

I rubbed small circles on the back of her hand as the door opened and Alice and Jasper walked in.

"Are you okay, Bella?" Alice asked, rushing to Bella's other side and leaning over to hug her tightly.

"Yea, Ali," she rasped out. "I'm okay." I knew she was trying to keep her tears at bay for the time being.

"You scared us, Bells," Jasper said, smiling in relief as he leaned over and kissed Bella's cheek before enveloping her in a firm hug.

"I know. I'm sorry," she replied softly.

"What happened, Bella?" Alice asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed and taking Bella's hand in hers.

Bella let out a long sigh before looking at all of us. "The girl…she couldn't have been more than six years old…she was leaning over the boat's railing, looking at something in the water and suddenly she fell. But her parents' boat just kept going. They hadn't been watching her and they didn't know she'd fallen.

"She didn't have a life vest on and she couldn't swim. I tried calling you guys, but the race was so loud…and no one heard me. So I jumped in and finally made my way over to her.

"The water was freezing, but I just held her to me and started screaming. She kept…crying and crying. Finally I saw Edward turn around…" she turned her tear-filled gaze to me. "And he jumped in and…I felt so relieved…but I still couldn't breathe. I thought I was going to drown…" she trailed off as more tears fell down her face. She looked down at her lap, shaking her head. "I thought we were both going to die until Edward got there," she whispered.

"Oh, Bella," Alice sighed, relieved, as she hugged her again. "You're okay now and that's all that matters."

"Edward the hero," Jasper said smugly, smirking at me.

I chuckled humorlessly and shook my head. I was anything but a hero.

Alice finally pulled away and Jasper put his arm around her.

"Carlisle says you're good to go now. Ready, Bells?" Jasper asked her.

Bella nodded and got off the bed slowly. I held onto her arm gently to make sure she didn't fall over since Carlisle said she was getting dizzy from the medication they had given her.

We signed her out and said goodbye to Carlisle before making our way out to Jasper's car. The ride to the lake house was silent. Every now and then I would rub Bella's hand and she would smile softly at me before I pulled my hand away and continued staring out the window.

I helped Bella up to our room as Alice and Jasper remained in the kitchen to begin cooking dinner for everyone. I knew Bella was exhausted and needed rest so I led her straight to the bed and laid her down. I grabbed a throw blanket from the closet and placed it gently over her.

"Do you need anything, Bella?" I asked her softly.

She shook her head sleepily, her eyes already half closed. "No…Edward…just…" she trailed off tiredly. Carlisle said the medication he had given her would make her extremely drowsy.

"What do you need?" I asked her attentively.

"Just…just lay down next to me…" she whispered, her head lolling to the side as her eyes fluttered closed.

I was taken aback by her request, but I quickly walked over to the windows and closed the blinds and the curtains so it would be dark enough for her to fall asleep. The sun was just barely setting on the horizon.

I kicked off my shoes and gently got into bed beside her. She turned over onto her side facing away from me and I watched as her body rose and fell with her even breathing.

"Edward," she whispered after a few minutes of silence had passed.

"Yes, Bella?" I asked concerned, wondering if she wasn't feeling well. She had told Carlisle at the hospital that she was feeling a bit nauseous.

"I'm cold," she said quietly.

"Do you want me to get you another blanket?" I asked, sitting up quickly.

"No," she replied, not turning to face me.

I waited in silence for her to say something else as I lay back down on my side of the bed and watched her quietly for a few more minutes.

"Just…hold me," she whispered, almost uncertainly...shyly.

I didn't think twice before moving closer to her and draping my arm across her waist and pulling her back close to my chest, my hands splayed gently across her stomach as I held her to me.

"Like this, Bella?" I whispered into her hair, taking in her sweet scent once again. I was pretty damn sure I was overstepping my boundaries holding her like this. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable…but I couldn't find it in me to move away.

"Yes," she breathed, pulling the blanket so it draped over both of us. "I'm sleepy…" she murmured groggily.

"I know…Carlisle gave you some meds. Just sleep, love. I'll wake you up for dinner in a few hours."

"Don't go, Edward," she mumbled tiredly.

"I'm not going anywhere, Bella. I'm staying right here." I wondered if she could sense the deeper meaning in those words—how they exceeded far beyond this current moment.

I held her close to me until her breathing evened out and I knew she had fallen asleep. I followed soon after, falling into a deep and peaceful slumber—something I hadn't had in ages and didn't realize until that moment was because I hadn't been sleeping with Bella in my arms for months.

There was a shift today…an electrical change. I knew she felt it, too. I also knew that when Bella and I sat down and finally talked…I wasn't going to let her walk away again. I couldn't. And I would tell her that if she didn't already know it.

"_Don't go, Edward,"_ she had said.

_Silly girl. Where else am I going to go?_

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**Author's Note: ****Heroward lives again :) Thanks for reading!**


	13. Tonight Won't Last Forever

_**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**_

**Author's Note: Thanks for the support! You guys are amazing. We're getting closer to the main event and so this chapter is going to get…a little angsty at the end. Next chapter will be as well so please stick with me! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

_**Bella POV**_

I didn't care.

At that moment I just didn't _fucking_ care.

All I wanted was for Edward to hold me. It was probably weak. It was definitely selfish. And it was—without a doubt—crossing the line.

But I didn't care.

Yesterday had opened my eyes. When I saw the true fear and horror in Edward's eyes when he was trying to save me, I knew. I knew that no matter what happened, he would always love me. And I would always love him. It didn't matter how hard I tried hating him because in the end, the two of us could not exist without each other.

If I drowned, he drowned—and vice versa.

I understood that now.

His arms had been so warm and wonderful wrapped around my torso. After Edward woke me up for dinner, we joined the family downstairs and everyone was freaking out about the incident earlier. I kept reassuring them that I was fine and that I just needed to rest.

Edward brought me back upstairs and we lay down just like before—my back flush against his chest. I didn't ask him to do it—I didn't need to. We both knew. We both needed it. So when I woke up the next morning to a cold and empty bed, I wasn't going to lie and pretend I wasn't completely disappointed.

I sat up slowly and patted my unruly hair down before getting out of bed and stretching. I winched when I felt how truly sore my muscles were, but I'd be damned if that wasn't the best night's sleep I had gotten in ages.

I went into the bathroom and washed my face and brushed my teeth before heading downstairs. I turned the corner to the kitchen and saw the refrigerator was open as someone was rummaging around inside. My heart started beating erratically and I took a step closer, wanting to see his face. To say I was disappointed when Emmett stood up straight would be an understatement.

He noticed me standing there and dropped the sausage in his hand to come over and hug me tightly, lifting me off the ground. "Morning, Bells! Sleep well?" he asked, setting me back down.

I nodded and sighed. "Yea, you?" I didn't really care how he had slept. All I cared about was the fact that I had woken up alone.

"Yea," he answered warily, sensing my mood. "Edward's in the den watching t.v. if you want to go see him. Everyone else is at work."

That woke me right up. "Why aren't you at work?" I asked, suddenly becoming interested in the conversation.

He turned around and picked up the sausage as he walked over to the stove where he was scrambling eggs. "I have the day off since the banquet is tonight." He suddenly spun around to face me. "You are going, right? I mean…I know you had a near death experience and all, but…"

"I'm going, Em," I smiled reassuringly.

His answering smile was almost blinding. "You make me happy." He turned back around to finish scrambling the eggs. "Oh, Bells," he called as I was eagerly making my way toward the living room.

I turned around and saw his back was still to me as he scrambled his eggs. "Yea, Em?"

"Did you think about what we discussed the other night?" he asked, not turning to face me.

I blushed, knowing exactly what he was talking about, and not being able to lie. Of course I had thought about it. It had been a major epiphany for me. I wasn't faking anymore and I wanted Edward to know it.

_Shit, when had I made _that_ decision? _

Emmett turned around and smirked at me when he didn't receive a reply. I'm sure he enjoyed my blush a little _too _much.

"I love you, Em," I stated, hoping that was enough of a response.

His face turned serious. "You know I love you, Bella. Even when Rose and I…act like…"

"Asses?" I interjected.

He chuckled and I knew then that my Emmett was back. "Some would say…" he trailed off.

I laughed and shook my head as I walked out of the kitchen and toward the sound of the television coming from the den. I walked to the doorway and saw Edward sitting on the couch with a bowl of cereal in hand as he watched a morning episode of _The Office._

The sight of him struck me hard. This was what Edward and I would do on the weekends. We'd sit around the living room, eating breakfast, watching our favorite t.v. shows, and just being happy spending time together.

He must have noticed me standing there because he finally looked up at me and smiled, moving over so I'd have room to sit beside him. I smiled shyly and walked over to sit next to him, curling my legs underneath me as I looked at the screen where Steve Carrel's character, Michael, was once again bossing Dwight around shamelessly. Edward and I remained silent, but we would both laugh out loud whenever something funny would happen.

"Are you hungry?" he asked me suddenly.

I looked at him and before I could respond, my stomach growled loudly. He just chuckled and shook his head as he stood up. "It always answers for you, huh?" he asked jokingly.

I blushed and shrugged as I watched him leave, only to return a few minutes later with a new bowl of cereal for me. I thanked him as he sat back down and we resumed watching the show.

Finally, a commercial break came on and I set my now empty bowl of cereal on the coffee table as Edward turned to face me. "How are you feeling?" he asked, obviously still concerned about yesterday.

"I'm fine," I replied truthfully. "Thank you again, Edward."

He shook his head. "Bella, don't thank me for saving you. I…I just…" He seemed to be struggling to find his words.

"Edward," I said, leaning over and resting my hand on his knee gently. "It doesn't matter what you say…you saved my life…and I won't ever forget that."

He looked up at me and for a moment, I was completely mesmerized by his eyes. I had forgotten how beautiful they were. After a few minutes of both of us just staring at each other, I noticed him begin to slowly lean in closer. My breathing hitched when his eyes glanced down at my lips and I moved away, sitting up straight once again.

"Tonight," I blurted out. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion so I elaborated, "We need to talk…tonight."

He nodded slowly, still watching me with that same gaze. "Okay."

I nodded in return and breathed a sigh of relief before getting up and grabbing my bowl. I walked back into the kitchen, sensing Edward following close behind me. Emmett was sitting at the counter, watching a football game on the plasma t.v. that was hanging on the wall across from him.

I went to put my bowl in the sink when I felt Edward's arms wrap around my waist from behind. My breath caught in my throat when I felt his lips at me ear.

"No more waiting," he whispered. "We're talking tonight."

I could sense that he was doubtful—given everything we had been through—and I knew he was tired of putting it off. We needed to talk and we couldn't avoid it any longer.

I nodded, still completely shocked by how intimate he was being. I didn't even think he realized the effect his small gesture had on me. He pulled back, but not before I felt his lips brush against the skin just below my ear, and just like that, he was gone.

I turned around and saw that Emmett and I were now alone. Emmett was sitting at he counter, his t.v. program all but forgotten, with his fork suspended in the air.

Finally, after a few minutes of us just staring at each other shocked, Emmett spoke, "I have never seen…so much sexual tension in one room before."

I opened my mouth, but quickly shut it when I realized I had nothing to say. Edward had left me far too flustered to even formulate a response and I was sure Emmett noticed.

"I'm…I'm going to go shower," I stammered distractedly, walking toward the stairs.

"Hurry now!" Emmett bellowed. "Edward may be waiting!"

_I. Fucking. Wished._

XxXxX

I wasn't sure when exactly I had fallen asleep. All I remembered was going up to our bedroom after Edward and I had lunch with Emmett downstairs. I had left the boys alone to talk about football because I was extremely tired. I only came to when I felt a hand gently rubbing my back.

"Bella," the beautiful voice whispered.

"Mmmm," was my intelligent response as I sunk deeper into the soft pillows.

"Love, wake up," the voice repeated.

My eyes snapped open. Slowly, I turned around and saw Edward leaning over the bed, his hand resting on the small of my back as he continued to rub like he had been doing before.

"Edward?"

He chuckled and nodded. "You were tired." It wasn't a question.

"Yea, I guess so," I said in daze, sitting up and straightening out my clothes.

"I'm sorry I had to wake you, but Alice is back and wants to start getting ready for the banquet," he said regretfully.

I gasped and looked at the clock, realizing with a start that it was nearly six o'clock in the evening. I had been sleeping for five hours.

"Oh my god," I breathed. "I can't believe I slept that long."

"You probably didn't sleep well last night," Edward said dejectedly. He had sat down on the bed and was playing with a loose thread on the comforter.

Why did he seem upset? Did he honestly think that last night hadn't been the best sleep I had ever gotten in my entire life? Did he seriously not know how much I loved that his arms were wrapped around me all night? How protected and safe and…loved I felt?

"Actually…last night I probably got the best night sleep…I've ever gotten in my life," I said, my voice wavering slightly. It took a lot for me to admit that to him, but I needed him to know how much it meant to me. We had been evading our issues and ignoring the changes occurring between us, but that didn't mean that they weren't there. This was my first step in acknowledging them.

He looked up at me—shocked at first—before his mouth turned into that crooked smile that I loved so much. He looked back down at the comforter again and chuckled lightly. "I love…holding you, Bella," he said quietly, almost timidly.

I just stared at him, not sure what to say. I could not believe he had come right out and said something so…honest like that. It was probably hard for him to admit that to me and I knew he was going to be worried about my reaction, but I honestly did not know how to reply. I was…stunned.

I was saved from my internal battle, however, when Alice came barreling into the bedroom, a few shopping bags in hand.

"Alright, my dear Bella, time for dress up!" she yelped excitedly.

I laughed without humor. "Alice, I'm not a Barbie doll."

"Yes you are," she pouted mockingly. "You're my Barbie doll. Now come, Barbie!" And with that, she sauntered toward her bedroom.

I sighed and shook my head at Alice's antics before getting off the bed. Edward was still staring down at the comforter, his eyebrows knit tightly together. I realized I still hadn't said anything in reply to his statement and he had probably taken that as a response in itself.

"Edward," I said once I got to the doorway. His head snapped up and he looked at me warily. "Tonight."

He nodded, understanding what I meant by that one word. I smiled slightly before walking into Alice and Jasper's bedroom and preparing myself for a long hour of hair-pulling, dress-ripping fun.

Less than forty-five minutes later and Alice had made my hair wavy, yet natural. She had added light make-up which she said only served to outline my natural beauty. And the heels she had gotten me were definitely walk-able.

But it was the dress that kept me in awe. The dress was a midnight blue, strapless, stopping just above my knees and fitting to my curves in all the right places. I was surprised because it was simple, yet elegant and beautiful on its own.

"You look great, Bell," she said proudly, standing next to me in the bathroom and putting in her earrings.

"Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself."

She smirked at me and placed her hands on her hips. Her dress was a deep purple with sleeves and a beautiful plunging neckline. Her short, spiky hair was still jet black and silky as ever.

"We _are _pretty sexy," she said smugly.

I laughed and nodded as I played with my hair a little and slipped into my heels just as there was a loud and obnoxious knock on the bedroom door.

"Alice, I'm almost a hundred years old. You girls done yet?" Jasper's voice flooded into the room.

Alice grabbed my hand and laughed as we walked to the bed and each grabbed out clutches. "He is so impatient," she admonished playfully.

I agreed whole-heartedly and we both walked outside where a very impatient and annoyed Jasper was waiting. He led us out front to Emmett's Hummer and that's when I saw Edward. He looked stunning.

I always did love what a suit could do to him. He was wearing fitted black slacks with a white button down and black tie, a black suit jacket completing the ensemble and his messy, disarray of hair was just adding to the sexiness.

_Slow down, Bella, you _are_ divorcing the man._

That thought stabbed me right in the heart. Divorce. I was divorcing Edward. For the first time in weeks, I actually allowed myself to acknowledge the fact that Edward and I were getting a divorce. And it fucking killed me.

"Bella!" Alice called. "Let's go!"

I shook my head to rid myself of the intruding thoughts as I walked over to the car. Alice and Jasper got into the very back seat while Edward held the door open so we could slide into the middle section, while Emmett and Rosalie got into the front.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked as he grabbed my waist and helped me get into the car before sliding in after me.

"Yea, I'm fine. Just a little groggy from my nap I guess. Where are Esme and Carlisle?" I asked, noticing we had taken off already and they had been nowhere in sight.

"They're going in Carlisle's car," Rosalie answered for me.

"Now, you guys, be on your best behavior tonight," Emmett said a little while later as we reached the hotel where the banquet dinner was being held.

"Are you serious, Em?" Jasper shot back. "You're the most annoying of all of us combined!"

"That's fucking blasphemy!" he yelled, getting out of the car and effectively scaring the valet as he handed him his keys.

Edward took my hand and helped me out of the car and we all walked into the beautiful hotel. It was definitely a place where big businesses would have a dinner party.

Emmett led us to the ballroom and the size was astounding. It was massive and absolutely breathtaking. Tables were scattered about elegantly and chandeliers made of crystal hung from the high ceilings.

"Alright, we're table sixteen. It's over there by the windows," Emmett said, pointing to the large floor to ceiling windows that offered a brilliant view of Seattle and led out onto a balcony. It reminded me of the reception hall for Alice and Jasper's wedding, only this was much, much bigger. "Just…mingle. And be good," Emmett joked as he took Rosalie's hand and led her to what I'm sure was one of his colleagues.

"Well, this is where we part," Alice said, mocking sadness. "I see some champagne with my name on it." She all but dragged Jasper in the direction of our table and Edward and I were left alone.

"Would you like something to drink, Bella?" Edward asked me.

"Sure."

We both walked over to a long table that had a few refreshments scattered about and Edward grabbed two champagne glasses, handing one to me. I thanked him and we both walked over to a more deserted part of the ballroom to drink.

"This place is beautiful," I mused, staring at the room in awe.

Edward nodded and glanced at the windows. "Do you want to go out on the balcony? I really want to see the view."

I nodded and smiled as we made our way to the large windows and stepped outside one of the glass doors. There were only a few people outside since it was rather cold out, but the view was definitely worth the temperature.

Edward and I both leaned over on the railing side by side and just took in the beautiful sight of the city.

"It's beautiful at night," I said, breaking the silence after a few moments. Edward didn't reply so after a couple of seconds, I turned to see him staring at me.

"Yea, it is," he stated simply.

I probably flushed several shades of red as I finished downing the contents in my glass. I glanced at him again, but he was now facing the city.

"I would have loved to live here," he said, breaking another spout of silence. "Before I got offered the internship in New York…I got a call from a law firm here in Seattle that wanted to take me on, but…I thought…New York…city of opportunities. Now that I think about it…I wonder how it would have been different…had I decided to come here." He looked at me again, but this time I didn't break his gaze.

"You never told me that," I said, completely surprised that he had been offered another internship when he was so young.

He nodded and sighed. "I figured since I wasn't going to accept the offer in Seattle that…it wouldn't matter. And you were so excited about starting you writing career in New York. It just seemed…perfect at the time."

"I wish you would have told me that…but I don't regret going to New York. I love it there."

"You don't hate how far it is from our family?" he asked me disbelievingly.

"Of course I do," I scoffed. "But there's no going back…and I love what I'm doing there."

He nodded, looking down at his hands. "Yea, you're right. There's no going back…" he trailed off, sounding incredibly regretful. I wanted to lighten up his mood a bit.

"Want me to get you another drink?" I asked as cheerfully as I could manage.

He looked at me and shook his head. "I'll go get them. Go ahead and stay here…enjoy the city." He smiled my crooked smile before taking my empty champagne glass and walking back into the ballroom.

I watched him go, a small smile on my face, as I turned back to gaze at the beautiful city. I was mentally preparing myself for the talk with Edward, going over all I had to say to him and what he would say in return.

I didn't want to fight with him, but there was a lot of shit that needed to be sorted through and I wasn't sure where it would leave us. My contemplations were cut short when I felt a hand on my shoulder. It wasn't Edward's warm hands, though. No, these hands were ice cold. I slowly turned around and stared into the icy blue eyes of the person I thought I would never see again.

"Bella Cullen," she sneered, glancing at me from head to toe. "Well…this is awkward."

"Tanya," I replied, my voice hard. I wasn't going to back down and let the bitch know how much she fucking got to me. I was going to be civil. She had pretty much aided in destroying my marriage, but at least I could keep my dignity in tact.

"Fancy seeing you here," she replied. "Dating another rich lawyer?"

"No, actually, I'm here with my husband. I think you know him? Edward Cullen?"

Her eyes widened immensely as she stared at me incredulously. "You two are still together?"

I nodded, feigning innocence. "Of course, why wouldn't we be?" On the outside I was cool and collected. Inside I was fucking falling apart. Being this close to the person who had caused me all this anguish in the last three months was making it really hard to breathe.

"I just figured he'd come to his senses is all," she shrugged, although I could sense her nonchalance attitude unraveling.

"Well…you showed him what a good thing he's got in me," I quipped. I could tell that it took her a few seconds to realize that I had just insulted her.

"Tanya?"

Tanya and I both looked at the doorway where Edward was standing, holding two champagne glasses in his hands and staring at us in shock.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Well, since my _last boss_ fired me…" she said, looking at Edward pointedly. "I had to take on another secretary job and that happened to be here in Seattle," she replied, shrugging. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"My brother works at one of the company's advertisement agencies," he replied distractedly as his eyes remained locked on mine, obviously measuring my reaction.

I was glad that Emmett obviously didn't work for the same company as Tanya. No one should have to work anywhere near her.

"Well," she started, smiling devilishly. "I see you two have worked out your differences. Bella," she turned to address me. I looked at her and glared. "You ran away in tears that night and…it broke my heart. I'm sorry you had to walk in on us like that, but…Edward's a man and he obviously needed some attention from someone a little more…shall I say…experienced?"

I opened my mouth to defend myself, knowing it wouldn't make a difference, but Edward's voice beat me to it.

"Tanya, shut the fuck up," he said, his voice getting a bit louder as he walked over to stand beside me and directly in front of her. He was no longer holding the champagne glasses and I saw that he had put them on one of the tables. "I didn't want you…you threw yourself at me, so don't fucking come here and start telling my wife this shit. Just…go."

Tanya's mouth opened and closed a few times and it reminded me of a fish. "Edward…what we had…"

"Was nothing," Edward finished for her. "You were my secretary. I was your boss. And you fucking crossed a line. Now leave," he stated firmly.

"You know, you were really smart…so I don't see why you married _her_," she muttered quietly as she turned to leave.

Edward stepped forward and opened his mouth to say something, but I stepped in front of him before he had the chance.

"Tanya," I called.

She stopped and turned to look at me.

"Go fuck yourself because rest assured, sweetheart, no one else will want to." The words flew out of my mouth before I had the opportunity to stop them. It was so unlike me to talk that way to someone, but I had gone through hell and back these past three months and Tanya was the one who had set it all off. I had to redeem myself and this seemed like the classiest way.

Tanya opened her mouth, just as surprised at my boldness as I was, and turned to stalk back inside. It was then that I noticed Rosalie and Emmett standing there, both of their mouths hanging wide open as Tanya brushed past them and headed inside. I stood there, still in complete shock at what had just happened. But it had felt good. It had felt so fucking good.

"Bella," Edward said as he touched my shoulder.

I shook him off quickly and hurried inside, bumping shoulders with Rosalie, as I made my way to the exit of the ballroom and out the revolving doors of the hotel. I stepped out into the cool, crisp night air of Seattle and began walking, not sure where I was going exactly.

"Bella!" I heard him call

I stopped and turned around as Edward jogged over to me, Emmett and Rosalie standing on the stairs watching us.

"Bella, where are you going?" Edward asked when he reached me.

"I just…I need to get out of here," I said.

Seeing Tanya again reminded me of the shit storm that had occurred and why Edward and I were currently in the place that we were. I knew we couldn't avoid the talk any longer, but I couldn't do it now. Not with all of these emotions that had just been awakened once again.

"Don't go, Bella. I can't…I can't watch you walk away again," he pleaded.

I shook my head, tears forming in my eyes. "That felt so good in there, Edward! Saying that to her!"

"I know, baby, and you were fucking amazing," he said desperately, placing his hands on either side of my face, obviously trying to keep me there longer.

"But…I just…I need to think," I said, pulling away from him and taking a few steps back.

"About what, Bella?" he demanded, his tone becoming angrier now. "You can't fucking avoid this any longer. You can't…pretend you don't feel this…this _shift _between us. This _change_."

"Of course I do, Edward!" I sobbed. "I feel it and tonight…seeing Tanya? God, it made me relive that night all over again! Seeing you with her! Just…the pain…I can't…I can't do this now." I turned to walk away again, but his voice stopped me.

"Do you remember the night we went out to dinner with everyone and played truth or dare? Emmett and Rosalie dared us to kiss. Do you remember that, Bella?" I turned around and nodded as he continued, "Later that night…you asked me something. You asked me how I felt about that kiss."

I just stared at him completely confused, not sure where this was going.

"I couldn't tell you how I felt because I was so fucking hurt when you said the night we slept together…drunk at Alice and Jasper's engagement party…should have never happened. You thought it was a mistake," he continued, pausing for a moment to catch his breath. "But I didn't fucking think it was a mistake. It was the best night of my life.

"And what did I fucking feel when we kissed? I felt…like I was on fire. Like everything in my life…everything that mattered was right there…with you. I wanted to kiss you again…and hold you again…and touch you again and…I couldn't tell you that because you said us making love was a mistake."

"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "I didn't…" I choked on my own tears before looking at Edward's confused and desperate face. "It wasn't a mistake, Edward. It was…god it was…the most incredible night of my life."

"Then don't walk away. Don't fucking walk away again, Bella. You did it once and I…I just can't see you do it again." His voice shook slightly when he spoke.

"I just need time to think," I pleaded, sucking up the tears and wiping the ones on my face away furiously.

"I can't go back to pretending," he said quietly, seeming defeated. "So don't expect me to." He stared at me for a while longer before turning around and walking back up the steps to where Emmett and Rosalie were. He had a brief discussion with them for a few minutes and I was sure he was telling them to make sure I got home safe.

I sighed as Rosalie approached me. "What is it, Bella? What's wrong?" she asked, seemingly frustrated.

"I-I…I don't know…Tanya…she was there and…Edward is…here…I just…need to be alone," I stuttered, knowing my words didn't make any sense.

"Talk to him," she pleaded, her voice turning gentle. "He's so broken, Bella, he needs you." Her voice wavered slightly and I looked at her, only to see that she had tears in her eyes. I had never seen Rosalie cry before.

"Please, Rose," I whispered, trying to keep my own tears at bay. "Please understand. You know what I've been through. I just need time by myself. Seeing Tanya tonight…it just brought back all those memories I've been trying so hard to keep away. Memories of that night…" I trailed off, not wanting to think about how one simple night had caused so much anguish.

Rosalie gave me a hard look for a very long time, but I finally looked away from her. I heard her sigh loudly before she hailed a taxi and paid the man, giving him the address to the lake house. Rosalie opened the door for me to get in and I didn't say anything to her as I slid into the cab.

She leaned into the taxi and looked at me. "Get your shit together, Bella, because I will _not_ stand back and watch two people that I love fall apart again." She didn't even give me a chance to reply as she slammed the door and the taxi driver took off driving.

Tonight had been epic, in the worst possible way. I fought back all of the emotions and tears and frustration building up within me and instead focused on Edward's eyes when I had walked away. He seemed so defeated, so broken and lost and I had done that to him.

I knew then that neither of us could go on pretending after this. I couldn't ignore it anymore. And even though I should have been thinking about what I was going to say to Edward when we finally talked, all I could think about was what he had said to me about the night we slept together…about the night we kissed. One thing stuck to me and actually made me smile through my tears.

He didn't think any of it was a mistake, either.

_**Rosalie POV**_

"Is she okay?" Emmett asked me as I walked back over to where he was standing by the entrance to the hotel.

I shrugged and crossed my arms over my chest to keep warm. "Are either of them okay?" I asked rhetorically.

He sighed and nodded, putting his arm around my shoulder.

"Where's Edward?" I asked, looking around and seeing no sight of him.

"He went back in. He's gonna tell the family Bella wasn't feeling well. Rosie, can you sleep with Bella tonight, sweetheart? Edward doesn't want to…bother her, you know?"

I nodded and sighed. "Yea…I will." I shook my head and wrapped my arms around Emmett's waist, hating how much pain Edward and Bella were going through. Hating how helpless I felt about it. Even through all of our clever schemes, nothing had been fixed. But…they _had_ gotten closer. They both acknowledged that something had changed. They just needed an extra…push.

I knew we should have stayed out of it and I knew Emmett would be totally against interfering again now, but a sudden thought came to mind and I'd be damned if anyone was going to stop me.

"Emmett, I have a plan," I said, looking up at him.

"No more, baby, please," he pleaded, looking down at me. "They're too stubborn. Just let them realize how stupid they're being on their own."

"One more. And then that's it. Just one more and I promise we'll stop."

It was a promise I was willing to keep because I knew that if this final plan didn't work, then it was a lost cause. I just hoped it wouldn't come to that.

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**Author's Note: ****Alright, I am going to go hide because you all probably hate me now. Next chapter will be up next Sunday! :)**


	14. Say Everything

_**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**_

**Author's Note: This was hands down the HARDEST chapter I have ever written for this story. I probably re-read it and edited it like ten times until I thought it was perfect. And because I love all of my readers for their amazing support, this chapter comes early, just in time for Christmas! Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope you enjoy your present! :)**

* * *

_**Edward POV**_

"Where's Bella?" Alice asked me as I approached our table.

"She uh…she wasn't feeling well, so Rose called her a cab," I lied easily, taking my seat beside her and glancing around the enormous banquet hall, watching couples dancing happily with one another and having a good time.

That should be _us_.

"Why didn't you go with her?" Alice demanded, seeming a bit angry. I could see why she would be upset. Bella was her best friend and I was her husband…technically. If she had really been sick, the right thing to do would have been to go with her. But it was a lie—just like every other lie we had created on this trip—so it didn't matter.

"I wanted to stay and support Emmett," I answered. It was true. I wanted to be here for Emmett since I couldn't be here for him through out the last few years. "And Bella wanted me to stay. You know how stubborn she is." I let out a laugh and I knew immediately that it sounded way too forced.

"Oookay," Alice said, obviously not buying it, but deciding to let it go.

I spent the rest of the evening talking and spending time with my family. I didn't want to think about Bella and how she had walked away from me…again…but it was hard when my mother and father or Alice and Jasper would bring her up every five minutes, asking me to call her, to make sure she was feeling better. I actually had to go outside and pretend like I was calling her a couple of times just to placate them.

"You doing alright, Edward?" Rosalie asked as she approached the open bar I had been vacating for the majority of the evening.

I nodded and took another drink of my whiskey, enjoying the burn as it made its way down my throat. "Fucking fantastic," I quipped sarcastically.

I could tell Rosalie struggled to get her breathing under control and remain even tempered. She hated when anyone gave her an attitude—especially me.

"Alright, you've been drinking so I'll let that slide," she said quietly. "But seriously…you and Bella…you need to talk, Edward. You know that, right?"

I chuckled quietly and looked down at my now empty glass. Rosalie must not have liked my silent response. "You know that, _right_, Edward?" she asked again, firmer this time.

I looked up at her and released a heavy gulp of air, smiling a bit drunkenly. "Does it really fucking matter anymore? Honestly, does it?" She rolled her eyes at my response, but I wasn't going to let her get off that easy. "No, seriously, does it matter, Rose?" I asked again, grabbing her arm a little too roughly because she had turned and tried to walk away. "Tell me it matters…look me in the eye and tell me it fucking matters." I knew I was far too close and holding her a little too tight, but the alcohol mixed with all of the frustration was getting the best of me.

"You've been drinking, Edward, okay? Please let me go," she said calmly. I didn't loosen my grip on her until Emmett arrived and yanked my hand off of her.

"What the hell, Edward?" he hissed quietly, rubbing Rosalie's arm. "Didn't I tell you to behave tonight? What the fuck are you doing?"

I shrugged and went to take a sip of the fresh glass of whiskey the bartender had just placed in front of me, but Emmett grabbed it out of my hand.

"No more drinks," he stated firmly. "We're about to leave, come on."

I sighed and ran a hand roughly through my hair before looking at Rosalie's shining, red eyes. I didn't mean to hurt her.

"I'm sorry, Rose," I said quietly, reaching out and touching her arm gently, rubbing where I had grasped her so tightly.

Emmett had walked off to get Alice and Jasper so I wasn't worried about him coming back and kicking my ass for putting my hands on her again. I was sure Rosalie would knee me in the balls for touching her again, but she shocked the hell out of me by placing her hand gently on mine and smiling sadly.

"It's okay, Edward. Just…it's okay," she sighed. I knew she wanted to say more, but I was thankful she didn't.

I pulled away from her as I saw Emmett coming back, Alice and Jasper in tow. I had left my suit jacket on the chair at our table so I told everyone I would meet them out front. They were a little skeptical since I had obviously been drinking, but I told them I wasn't immobile—I could walk the few steps to the table.

The banquet hall was quickly becoming deserted as I grabbed my suit jacket and put it back on. I turned around to walk to the exit when I saw her sitting at the table beside me, smirking.

"Hey, you," she said in what I'm sure was meant to be a seductive voice. "I didn't see your precious wife anywhere. Did you guys have a fight?" She made a mock sad face and I simply rolled my eyes at her as I started to pass by. She stood up, blocking my way.

"Tanya, move," I said firmly, not in the mood for this, especially tonight.

"Edward," she purred, placing her hand on my chest and the other behind my neck. I quickly backed away from her and pulled her hands off of me.

"Tanya, stop! Haven't you done enough damage?" My head was pounding and my voice sounded much louder than I would have liked.

"Apparently not," she shot back, still smirking.

This was all just a fucking game to her. She was the predator and I was her prey. The challenge was Bella, but Tanya would never win because she could never measure up to be half the woman Bella was. These thoughts—Tanya fucking being here—sobered me up rather quickly at the moment and I knew it was time to tell her to back the fuck off. Enough with being gentlemanly; she obviously couldn't take the hint.

"This isn't a fucking game, Tanya, this is my life. Stop screwing with it. I'm married and I love Bella more than anything. So this has to stop. _Now_."

She stood there staring at me for the longest moment and for a second, I was afraid she would try seducing me again. She spoke again after a few moments had passed. The evil glint in her eyes was now replaced by a foreign emotion I couldn't quite identify.

"It could have been fun. You and me," she said wistfully, smiling. It wasn't an evil smile anymore.

I shook my head. "Bella is it for me."

She laughed quietly and looked down, shaking her head. I figured she didn't have anything more to say so I decided it was time for me to leave. I just wanted Tanya out of mine and Bella's life for good.

"Alright, well, good luck with everything here in Seattle," I said dismissively as I walked past her toward the exit.

"I'm actually moving to Oregon in a couple of weeks. I got a job down there…a real job," she said. I wasn't sure why she had told me that, but I turned around and looked at her anyways. "Maybe I'll have better luck with men there," she laughed tightly.

"Yea…maybe single men," I bit back, far from joking.

"Maybe," she relented disinterestedly as she eyed me up and down. I had had enough of her scrutinizing gaze. Tanya would never be on good terms with me and she would certainly never be on good terms with Bella. This was just how things would be left. There had been far too much damage done to forgive and forget and Tanya was definitely not making apologies anytime soon.

"Well, good luck in Oregon," I finally replied, turning to leave, hoping she wouldn't interject once again.

"I will. Have a nice life, Edward!" she called after me—almost sarcastically—as I made my way toward the front of the hotel without a backwards glance.

I stepped out into the cold Seattle air and walked over to Emmett's waiting Hummer, getting into the backseat beside Alice; Jasper was seated on the other side of her.

I looked out the window just as Tanya was stepping out and I actually breathed a sigh of relief. She was gone and I would hopefully never see her again. She would be moving to Oregon and wouldn't be in the same town as me or my family ever again. I could put it behind me now and move forward. I just needed one other person to move forward with me…and I couldn't do that if she kept walking away.

We drove to the lake house in silence. Once we stepped inside; Rosalie, Emmett, and I waited for Alice and Jasper to go to their rooms before the three of us headed upstairs. I wasn't going to sleep in the same room as Bella tonight—we both needed our space. I just didn't want to have to deal with Alice and Jasper's questions.

We said goodnight and went our separate ways—me and Emmett in his and Rosalie's room and Rosalie in mine and Bella's. I slept on the floor that night and it was the worst sleep I had ever gotten. Not just because I was sleeping on the floor, but because Bella was only two rooms down and I couldn't sleep next to her. Not tonight.

XxXxX

The day was already turning out to be shitty. I woke up to Emmett's ass in my face and when I went to take a shower, I realized with a start that Alice had used up all the hot water getting ready for work. On top of that, I almost fell down the stairs tripping over Jasper's shoes and burnt my hand on Rosalie's curling iron—who leaves that shit on the counter, _still turned on_, and leaves?

And lastly…Bella was gone.

In all honesty, that was what had really made the day go to hell. I woke up that morning with the preconceived notion that Bella would approach me and finally want to confront all of the fucked up emotions we had both been feeling, but Rosalie told me she had woken up early and gone out for a jog.

She was a master at avoiding this problem. And me.

This was strange for Bella. She never avoided problems like this before. Sure, she wouldn't fuss about little trivial things like me not putting the toilet seat down or leaving the refrigerator door open, but when it came to serious things that affected our relationship, we would always want to get right to the heart of it. I didn't understand why she was so afraid now. She knew we would have to talk eventually; she was just making this so much fucking harder for both of us. I wasn't sure how much more I could take.

I was alone in the house since everyone had gone to work and Bella still hadn't returned from her jog. I wasn't sure what to do with myself. I had showered, shaved, gotten dressed in casual jeans and a t-shirt, read a few chapters of a book, and played a little bit of piano in the den. I had started writing another piece, but as of now I only had the first few notes down. I was becoming restless and it wasn't even noon yet.

I was in the middle of searching the refrigerator for something to make for lunch when I heard the front door open. Without thinking, I bolted to the foyer and was sadly disappointed to see my mother.

_Well, that sounds fucking horrible to say._

"Mom, what are you doing home?" I asked as I took the many shopping bags from her hands.

"Thank you, sweetheart," she replied, smiling at me as she set her purse down and led me to her and Carlisle's bedroom where I set the bags down in the corner. "I finished with my clients early today so I went shopping for a bit, visited the girls at work. Alice has Bella playing dress up," she joked, walking back to the kitchen and grabbing a bottled water from the fridge.

"Bella?" I asked with a start.

_What was she doing at Rosalie and Alice's store?_

My mother looked at me oddly before nodding slowly. "Yes. She went out for a jog and found her way to the boutique. Said she wanted some girl time," she smiled. "And it broke my heart that my son was home all alone, so I decided to come and take you to lunch."

My mind was still reeling with the fact that Bella was clearly avoiding me. Alice and Rosalie's store was miles from here. She must have been pretty fucking desperate to get away from me.

You know what? Fuck that. I was so sick of sitting here, playing scenarios and apologies in my head when all she did was ignore everything, including me—_especially_ me. It wasn't fair. It wasn't _fucking_ fair.

"Edward?" My mother's voice snapped me out of my haze and I looked at her. "Where did you go?" she asked, smiling, but at the same time looking worried.

I shook my head and forced out a small chuckle. "Nowhere. Just thinking about where my priorities have been lately."

She nodded slowly, eyeing me speculatively. "Is something bothering you, sweetheart?" she asked, placing a gentle hand on the side of my face.

"I'm fine. Let's go eat," I said, grabbing her hand.

Lunch with my mom was nice. I didn't have to pretend with her or make sure I was acting like a good husband because Bella wasn't there. She was with Rose and Alice. She had run out before I could talk to her this morning and was now hiding away with her two best friends. She was being a coward.

I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Seattle with my mother, talking about everything and nothing at the same time. I told her how I was handling the law firm; she filled me in on all the excitement she experienced as a party planner and interior designer.

We headed home once the sun started to set because Alice had called and wondered where we were. Apparently she, Rosalie, and Bella had met Emmett and Jasper for dinner. They called to invite me, but I refused, saying I was enjoying my time with Esme and didn't want to intrude. Thankfully my mother wasn't within earshot, otherwise there would have been far too many questions needing to be answered.

The house was extremely quiet when we walked in. Carlisle was in the living room reading the newspaper while Alice and Jasper were playing chess on the floor.

"Where is everyone, honey?" my mother asked my father as she went and kissed him on the cheek, sitting on the chair's arm rest and placing her arm around his shoulder.

"Bella and Rosalie went for a walk," Carlisle replied, kissing Esme's cheek lovingly.

"Why didn't you go, Alice?" my mother asked her.

"They said they were going to talk about what to do for my bachelorette party and that I couldn't be there," Alice answered, smiling slightly.

I stood there watching Alice and Jasper play chess for a while as my parents continued having a quiet conversation filled with love and adoration. I suddenly felt extremely exhausted from the day and decided to call it an early night.

"I'm gonna head upstairs…lay down for a bit," I finally said, making my way to the steps.

"Ho-Ho-Ho-Hold it right there, little brother!" Emmett all but sang as he appeared from the kitchen, fully dressed in jeans and a thick jacket. "I thought we could head out on the lake. It's a beautiful night."

"Did you just call the night beautiful, Emmett?" Jasper teased, smiling widely.

"Shut the fuck up! I have feelings!" Emmett yelled boisterously.

"Language," Carlisle warned. "And it's a bit late to go out on the lake, don't you think, son?"

"Pish posh, father," Emmett bellowed, grabbing my arm and practically pushing me out the door.

"Take a jacket, Edward!" my mother called just as Emmett was closing the door.

"Fuck me," he mumbled, jittery, as he hurried in and grabbed my leather jacket, throwing it at me.

"What the fuck, Emmett?" I demanded, pulling the jacket on as he closed the front door and grabbed my arm once again. He dragged me to the back of the house and down the steps toward the lake.

"Dude, I gotta talk to you. Rose is out of her mind. She's planning something. Something bad," he declared shakily. He actually seemed…frightened.

"What is it?" I asked, suddenly worried. He walked to a small boat at the dock and hopped in. "I thought we were going on Carlisle's boat," I pointed out confused, looking around for the much larger boat.

"No, I said we were going out on the lake. I never specified by what means," he replied wryly.

"Emmett, what the fuck—" Before I had time to finish my statement, Emmett grabbed my arm and pulled me down into the boat. I didn't even have time to get up as he walked to the motor and started the little thing up. We started out into the darkness and I spotted Carlisle and Esme's boat out in the distance.

"Why is our boat out there, Em?" I asked him.

He rode right up to the side of the boat and tied a rope securing the two vessels to one another before he climbed into Carlisle's much more luxurious and spacious boat. I got onto the boat as well because I honestly didn't feel safe in the small little contraption we had ridden up on.

"Never mind how the boat got here," he waved off quickly. "Rosalie is on my nuts about this…this _plan_ to get you and Bella back together, and frankly, she's scaring me."

I looked around and saw that we were smack dab in the middle of the lake. It just didn't make any sense for the boat to be out there in the middle of the lake this late at night without anyone having ridden it out there. Something wasn't right. But I didn't have time to dwell on that because Emmett was obviously freaking out…and that was never a good thing.

"What does she have planned?" I asked him cautiously.

He just shrugged and pulled me down to the cushioned seats circulating around the front of the boat. I sat down beside him and was about to speak when I heard footsteps coming up the stairs leading down to the lower level of the boat—the lower level included a kitchenette as well as a decent sized bedroom and bathroom.

Suddenly, Rosalie was walking up the stairs, Bella following close behind her. Bella seemed preoccupied with fixing the bottom of her jeans and didn't notice Emmett or I sitting there.

"Hey, boys," Rosalie smirked, looking behind her where Bella was. Bella's head suddenly shot up and she looked at the two of us, clearly shocked.

"Rosalie," Emmett nodded. "What brings you two out here?" he asked casually.

Rosalie smiled—it seemed like a private smile, like they were in on some inside joke—before she walked over to us and sat in the seats on the side of the boat.

"We were just in the neighborhood. Thought we'd come out on the lake. It's a beautiful night, huh, Em?" Rosalie said. Again, a private smile.

"What's going on?" Bella asked quietly, looking between Rosalie and Emmett.

Emmett sighed and shrugged. "It seems to me…that this is just one of those serendipitous moments in life. All four of us…coming together…sharing a common bond," he said dramatically. He got up and walked over to the steering wheel of the boat. I watched him for a few seconds before Rosalie's voice snapped me back to her.

"Edward, you didn't even say hi. That's rude," Rosalie scolded quietly.

I looked at her and narrowed my eyes. More games. "Enough, Rose. What's going on?"

She looked taken aback, but I knew it was all an act. She glanced over to where Emmett was now standing, arms crossed, watching us. They shared a long look before Rosalie got up and shook her head.

"Did you bring my purse, Emmett?" she suddenly asked, walking over to the small boat Emmett and I had arrived on.

"It's in there, sweetheart," he replied, pointing to the boat and stepping inside as Rosalie followed in behind him.

She searched the inside of the small boat for a few minutes before sighing loudly. "It's not here, Emmett," she huffed, sitting down.

I watched them in confusion before glancing at Bella. She was also looking at them, eyebrows knit tightly together in curiosity.

"Must be back at the house," Emmett shrugged. Suddenly, he untied the rope holding the small boat to Carlisle's. He started the engine and looked at Bella and me, smiling wickedly. "I told you she had a plan, Edward."

My mouth fell open as I stood up and walked over to the side of the boat. "What the hell are you guys doing?"

Emmett shrugged as he moved the boat far enough away so that I couldn't reach them.

"You guys are being so fucking stupid," Rosalie replied. "So…this is your punishment." She smiled at us smugly. "Head back, Em. I'm tired."

"Rose!" Bella yelled angrily. I hadn't even noticed she had walked over and was now standing beside me. "You guys are kidding, right?" she asked incredulously.

Suddenly, Emmett pulled something out of his jacket pocket. The keys to Carlisle's boat.

"You tell _me_, Bella," he replied smugly. "Are we kidding?" He didn't even allow us a chance to respond before taking off to the shore.

I stood there and watched—stunned—as the boat became smaller and smaller in the distance. I could just barely make out Emmett reaching the dock, securing the boat, and helping Rosalie out. Then…they just walked up the steps to the lake house and disappeared out of sight.

_Holy Shit._

They weren't fucking kidding.

I looked at my watch—just past eight p.m. "Fuck," I muttered, walking over to the steering wheel and seeing no possible way to get the boat back to the dock.

For one, we were far enough away that swimming would be very long and very tiring. The temperature of the water was also being taken into account—it was probably freezing by now. And Bella. Bella couldn't swim.

"Shit," I mumbled, hitting the steering wheel roughly before going to the front of the boat and staring at the lake house in the distance, hoping by some miracle that this was some sick, twisted joke and Emmett and Rosalie would come running out any minute.

"Edward?" I heard Bella say softly.

"What?" I snapped back harshly. I clenched my eyes shut and chastised myself for not being able to control my anger. I was upset with her, yes, but I shouldn't have taken my frustrations about the situation out on her, too.

"Maybe we can…call Carlisle," she suggested quietly.

I slowly turned around and saw her standing there watching me timidly. "And say what, Bella?" I asked incredulously. "'Hey, Emmett and Rose stranded us out on the boat so we could talk about our problems. _What_ problems, you ask? Oh, the ones we never deal with because some people walk away every time shit comes up.' Sorry, Bella, but I'd rather not have that conversation with my father, thanks." I turned back around, fuming.

"Hey." I turned around again when I heard her voice. "Can we…talk…now, then?" she asked, looking everywhere but at me.

I stared at her for the longest time before I just started fucking laughing. This was ridiculous. She wouldn't talk to me unless _forced _to? Now that she had no choice, she wanted to talk?

"Are you kidding me?" I asked incredulously, walking over to stand directly in front of her. "No, Bella, it doesn't work that way. You can't choose to ignore me or talk to me whenever you fucking wish."

"Edward—"

"No, Bella, _I'm_ talking now," I quickly interrupted. "Do you know how it feels to pour my heart out to you and have you just walk away? What it's like to sit around, trying to figure out what I'm going to say to you when we talk, just to have you _leave_? Do you know what that's like?" She looked down, away from me, and I shook my head. "You can't even fucking look at me," I muttered as I walked to one of the seats and sat down, letting out a heavy breath.

Seconds passed. Minutes maybe. I wasn't sure how long I sat there before I felt Bella come to stand in front of me.

"I'm going to talk now," she murmured quietly, probably as a warning for me to not interrupt. "For so long, I sat back and watched girls fawn over you," she started, her voice shaking slightly. I didn't look up at her as she spoke. "I couldn't blame them. You were perfect. You still are. And I tried so hard to ignore them…to pretend it didn't bother me, but it did. And you never seemed to care. You just…brushed it off like it was nothing.

"And…I know…I know you didn't see them. I get that now. I get what you meant when you said that it works both ways. But, Edward, you never _said _anything!" she yelled, frustrated, before walking to the center of the boat.

I finally looked up and watched her as she spoke. "You never told me that guys looking at me bothered you. Never said it…_hurt_ you to watch them staring at me. But I told you girls were just…waiting on the chance to jump you when I wasn't around and you'd just…you'd _laugh_. Like it was a joke. So I let it go. For a long time…I just let it go. Because I knew you loved me and I knew…you'd never hurt me.

"But then Tanya came along and I _knew_. I knew things were going to be different. I knew she would try something, but you just thought I was being paranoid. So I waited and waited and finally I figured you were right. That she wasn't dumb enough to go after a married man.

"But she did. And I stood there…and watched everything I had come to know fall apart right in front of me. After you constantly reassuring me nothing would happen. After you constantly brushing off my concerns...the only thing I could think about when I saw Tanya on you was that…there…he finally has someone whose worthy of him. Someone beautiful. And…I…I couldn't take it." She took a deep breath and shook her head, looking down as she sat in one of the other vacant seats.

I finally got up. It was my turn now.

"Bella, have I ever given you a reason to doubt me? Have I ever…shown interest in other girls?"

"No, but you still didn't listen! You _never _listen!" She was in my face now. I hadn't even seen her get up, but now she was standing right in front of me, tears streaming down her face.

"I know!" I shot back, frustrated with her and myself and this whole messed up situation. "Fuck, I _know_ I hurt you! I know I shouldn't have ignored what you said, but none of those girls ever acted on their flirtations! They were all talk and I thought Tanya would be the same, but I was wrong! I know that!" I ran both of my hands roughly through my hair.

"And I know I never said anything about the guys staring at you, but that's because I knew they could look all they want! They could look all they want because at the end of the day, it was _my_ bed you were sleeping in, Bella! Not _there's_!" I stood there, panting heavily for a moment, as I watched Bella absorb this. She looked down again.

"I have insecurity issues. It's not a secret," she said, her voice a quiet murmur compared to just moments ago. "I've had them for as long as I can remember. Being with you just… amplifies it because you're so…beautiful…" she trailed off quietly, crossing her arms over her chest and taking a few steps back from me, gazing out at the lake.

"You don't see yourself clearly at all," I whispered, shaking my head. "I understand you have some insecurities…and I'm trying my best to understand them and figure out a way to fucking…_help you_ work through them…but have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?" I repeated my question from earlier, louder this time. "Have I ever given you a reason to doubt how I feel about you?

"I know I hurt you. You're right, I should have listened. I should have listened because if I had come to you…telling you how I felt about something that bothered me…and you just brushed it off, I'd feel like shit. And I'm so sorry I hurt you, Bella. I'm so fucking sorry." I felt more than heard my own voice waver and I knew I was now on the verge of tears myself. I hadn't cried in so fucking long. Not since the day Bella left three months ago.

"I never should have let things with Tanya get that far," I continued, having gotten back some control on my breathing. "And even though it works both ways…even though it _kills _me to see guys staring at you when you obviously don't notice…I never told you that it bothered me. I never…said anything to you. I just stared them down and they'd shit themselves."

She actually laughed through her tear-filled eyes when I said that, and that alone made my heart feel a little less heavy. I loved being the reason for that sound.

"I can't…I can't change the past, Bella. I can't go back—no matter how much I want to—and fix all the shit that happened. But, Bella, you need to understand that you're the smartest…most beautiful…most amazing woman in the world. And I don't want anyone else. I made a vow to you…a commitment, and I meant it. I'm yours forever. I'm yours until you tell me to leave. Tell me to leave, Bella, and I'll go," I declared brokenly.

It was true. If she didn't want me anymore…if she was over all this shit and wanted to move on…I'd let her. If she told me to walk away—as much as it would fucking hurt to leave—I'd go. Without a doubt…I'd make myself go. For her.

She was crying now and I wanted nothing more than to go to her and wrap my arms around her, but I kept myself in place.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head, still not looking at me. "I don't want you to go, Edward. Don't…don't go." She finally looked up at me, looking so broken, and I couldn't stop myself from taking a few steps towards her. But she put her hand up and effectively stopped me. It was quiet for a long time as I watched her stare at the ground and collect her thoughts.

"I should have trusted you," she whispered after a few moments of silence had passed. She finally looked up at me, locking her eyes confidently with mine. "I didn't ever mean to make you think I doubted us. I let my insecurities about myself screw up what we had. I know that now." She shook her head and sniffed back excess tears before continuing, staring straight into my eyes. "It just hurt…when you didn't seem to care that girls would…_pine _after you. But I understand now. I understand that…you never meant to hurt me. That you just…didn't get it."

I shook my head. "Still, I shouldn't have just sat back and done nothing. You stuck with me through everything and trusted me until Tanya came around. And I shouldn't have ignored you. I should have…fired her…done something. I shouldn't have just…" I trailed off, not sure what else to say. "Bella…I…I get it now," I said quietly, hoping she would understand that there was so much that I needed to show her…so much that couldn't be said, but rather needed to be done…to prove to her that I had changed. That I knew now what she meant.

She nodded minutely before sucking in a deep breath. "I'm sorry for what I did with Jacob," she blurted out suddenly. I looked at her again, wincing at the memory as she continued, "I was just so hurt. I thought that…I could use him to forget how I felt about you. That he would make me forget you." She lowered her head, seeming ashamed.

I watched her for a few minutes as she started fidgeting with her hands. "Did it work?" I asked warily, my voice trembling of its own accord.

She laughed humorlessly through tear-filled eyes, looking down at the ground before her gaze snapped back up to mine. "Not even close," she whispered.

I stood there awkwardly, my hand extended slightly out towards her. She was too far away and was clearly avoiding making eye contact with me again.

And just like that I realized that this was it—'The Event,' as I had so tactfully called it. I had built it up and built it up and now it had just happened…on accident. And here we were, standing across from each other, stranded on a boat.

There was still so much to work through…so much that needed to be discussed…but a lot of it would just have to be shown with time. We couldn't say we were over our problems and mistakes just like that because we weren't. We weren't even close. But this was a step forward. And I hoped that Bella realized this and wouldn't just walk away as if it didn't change anything. It changed everything.

"Bella…" I finally said after I couldn't handle the silence anymore.

"Edward, just…just kiss me," she whispered.

And just like that I walked the few steps over to her, grasped her face in both of my hands, and pressed my lips to hers. Our lips moved on their own, re-familiarizing themselves with the touch they had come to miss so much.

I slipped my tongue into her mouth and she moaned quietly as she massaged it gently with her own. I couldn't take it anymore—I needed her closer. Nothing was close enough. After three months of separation…and two weeks of false touches…I needed her closer.

I moved my hands down to her waist and grasped her tightly, bringing her body flush against mine as I continued kissing her, trailing my mouth down her chin to her jaw, then back up to her cheek and her eyes. I kissed everywhere—her temple, her forehead, her eyelids, her nose. And what really clutched my heart at that moment was the way she grasped onto me, like she was afraid she was going to lose me any minute .

I held her tighter, kissing her neck and enjoying the gasp of pleasure it elicited from her mouth. After a few more minutes of me trailing lingering kisses all over her face and neck, she suddenly pulled away.

Our eyes immediately locked with one another's, both of us panting heavily. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion at the coy look she was giving me and decided to just dive back in and kiss her again.

"Edward, make love to me," she whispered suddenly, moving her head back so she could look at me.

I stared at her in shock, my mouth parted slightly. She was staring directly into my eyes now, all traces of uncertainty and shyness gone. I wasn't even sure I had heard her correctly.

"Say it again," I murmured quietly.

She seemed to falter for a moment before looking at me confidently "Make love to me," she repeated.

I placed one hand on the side of her face as the other stayed securely around her waist. I leaned in so our lips were barely touching.

"One more time," I whispered against her mouth, gently nipping at her bottom lip with my teeth.

"Edward," she half- breathed, half-moaned. "Make love to me—" She barely got the words out before I attacked her mouth with my own, quickly moving my hands to grasp the back of her thighs and lift her up so her legs were wrapped around my waist.

I continued kissing her as I made my way down the steps leading to the bedroom below the boat. It didn't take long for me to get to the bed and lay her down gently, climbing on top of her as I continued kissing her, moving down to her jaw and neck, leaving a wet trail of kisses all the way to her collarbone. I grasped the hem of her shirt and slowly lifted it up and over her head, reveling in her beautiful body and all that I had been missing.

"Touch me, Edward," she breathed, arching her back off the bed slightly.

I quickly unhooked her bra and then her warm breasts were in my hands. I massaged them gently as she moaned and threw her head back. Without looking at me, she slid my leather jacket off my shoulders and then lifted my t-shirt over my head, throwing it on the ground to join the growing pile of clothing on the floor.

I latched one mouth around her nipple and sucked gently as her hands found their way into my hair, grabbing it and pulling tightly, eliciting a low groan from the back of my throat.

I continued kissing down her stomach, to her belly button, before I reached the belt of her jeans. I unlatched it slowly and unbuttoned her pants before gently sliding them down her legs, taking off her shoes and socks along the way. I reached up and hooked my fingers into the elastic of her panties before deftly pulling them down her legs and tossing them aside.

I sat back on my knees and just took in the sight of her, naked and laying there for me, her hair fanned out across the bed, looking so gorgeous and so vulnerable.

She was laying there…for me.

I wanted to make this moment unforgettable for her…to take back every wrong thing I had done…to show her I needed her and wanted her and just…fucking loved her more than anything. But I didn't know how much was too much.

Bella sensed my hesitance because she sat up on her elbow and reached her hand out to me, touching my arm and pulling me toward her. "Come here," she whispered.

I crawled back up her body and pressed my lips to hers once more as her hands went down to my belt and unbuckled it before she unbuttoned my pants. I helped her kick my jeans off and then my shoes and socks until I was just in my black boxer briefs, laying on top of her, my now very hard erection pressing into her stomach.

"Edward," she whispered against my lips, almost pleadingly. I knew what she wanted…because I wanted it, too. Too much.

I slid my boxer briefs down before taking myself in my hand and stroking a few times as I gazed down at her, bare and wet and ready for me.

"Bella…if we do this…it won't be like the engagement party. We can't go back to pretending," I said, looking her straight in the eyes, wanting to see if she understood that everything changed tonight. That we couldn't go back to the way things were.

"Edward," she started slowly, never breaking eye contact with me. "I stopped pretending a long time ago."

My mouth opened slightly, wanting to say something in response, but not knowing the right words to say. So instead, I pressed my lips to hers again in a fevered kiss, letting all of my emotions…everything that I had been feeling for the last three months…come pouring out of me. Letting her know I felt the same way. Letting her know that I had wanted her…just like she wanted me.

I trailed one hand down her body and pushed two fingers inside of her warmth. She moaned into my mouth and I groaned at how wet and ready she was for me. I finally entered her, slowly and gently. It was so much different then the drunken sex we had had because now I was completely coherent and could feel all of her.

I began moving in and out of her slowly, savoring every thrust, every moan, and every gasp of pleasure. I was resting on my forearms, one hand brushing Bella's hair back gently as both of hers grasped onto my waist.

"I missed you," she breathed.

I kissed her lips firmly before resting my head in the crook of her neck. "You have no idea how much I missed you," I whispered, pressing my lips to her pulse point, but making no move to kiss her. I just rested my lips there, feeling the thumping quicken under my touch.

I continued thrusting into her at a steady pace. There was no rush. She had told me to make love to her and that was exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted this moment to last as long as possible because the feeling of being connected to her this way…it was indescribable.

I finally lifted my head from her neck and looked into her eyes, wanting to watch her come apart under me. The hand that had been stroking her hair worked its way down to her clit and I began rubbing circles around it until I felt her tighten around me. And then her mouth opened slightly and she let out the most beautiful, erotic sound I had ever heard as she moaned my name.

I followed shortly after, throbbing and pulsating and experiencing the most amazing high I had ever achieved being with her this way, emptying everything I had inside of her until there was nothing left to give.

I laid there on top of her for a few minutes as we both struggled to steady our heavy breathing. I finally pulled out of her and rolled over onto my back. I was about to pull her to me, but she cuddled up next to me herself, resting her head on my chest and draping her arm securely around my waist.

I kissed her forehead and wrapped my arm around her as we lay there quietly. Bella was the one to break the silence after a few moments.

"Edward…" she started hesitantly. And somehow I knew exactly what she wanted to say. She knew as well as I did that we still had a lot of shit to work through. That there was still so much that needed to be done. But it could wait. We would work through it together.

"I know, Bella. There's so much we have to work through and …we can deal with it one day at a time. I just…I can't be without you anymore."

"I know the feeling," she replied quietly.

"Don't leave again," I murmured. I wasn't just referring to her _physically_ walking away, but emotionally as well. She had shut me out these past few weeks and I couldn't take it. I needed her in my life—all of her.

"I have nothing without you, Edward," she said softly. "The time apart from you made me realize that…you're everything to me."

"You're everything to me, too, Bella. Don't ever forget that."

I wanted so badly to say the words. The three words that I had wanted to say to her everyday for the last three months, but knew I couldn't because we had drawn a line. But now that line was gone…it had been erased and there was nothing holding me back.

"I love you so much, Bella," I stated firmly, looking down at her.

Her breath caught for a moment before she looked up at me, resting her chin on my chest and smiling slightly. "I love you more than anything, Edward," she replied softly, placing her hand on my heart. I placed my own hand over hers and grasped it tightly.

"Are you cold?" I asked, noticing we were both still naked and lying on top of the bed, the cold Seattle breeze making its way down to the small room.

"Yea, but I just want to lay here with you. I don't want to move."

I smiled slightly at her and pressed my lips gently to hers once more. "I know the feeling," I whispered against her lips. "Sleep, love."

She closed her eyes and laid her head back down on my chest. After a few moments of silence, she spoke again. "I'm sorry, Edward. For everything."

"Don't…don't do that. Don't apologize," I said softly, looking straight into her beautiful brown eyes. "You have no idea how sorry I am, Bella." I spoke in a voice full of regret. I hated that we had had to go through this. But I knew it could only serve to make us that much stronger.

She looked up at me again and stroked my cheek lovingly with the back of her hand. "We're going to be okay?" she asked in barely above a whisper, her voice shaking slightly.

I grasped her hand in mine and kissed her palm before placing it on the side of my face and holding it there. "We're going to be okay," I nodded. "Because I'm always going to be right here…and so are you."

"Good…because I can't ever bring myself to walk away from you again, Edward. It hurts too much." She whispered the last part and I knew she was on the verge of tears. I didn't want to see her crying again. I didn't want her to be in pain.

I wordlessly lifted her up and pulled back the covers of the bed before tucking her under them and laying down beside her. We resumed our previous position—Bella resting her head on my chest and me with my arm wrapped around her, holding her tightly.

We still had a lot to work through and I knew that only time would heal our wounds. But having her here in my arms again, holding her close to me, was the most amazing feeling in the world…and it gave me hope. It gave me hope that we would make it. That, despite all of the shit we had been through, our love for each other was something that would always exist. I had her here in my arms again…and I wasn't planning on ever letting go.

Bella's breathing was starting to even out and I knew that she was teetering off the edge of sleep, but would still be able to hear me.

"So…is it Mrs. Cullen again?" I teased quietly, resting my lips gently in her hair and smiling slightly.

I felt her body shake lightly with her silent laughter and her quiet response only served to make my smile that much bigger.

"It never stopped being Mrs. Cullen."

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**Author's Note: ****This chapter has been playing in my head since the very beginning of this crazy little story so I hope it was worth the wait. Usually I don't ask for reviews, but I will right now for a few reasons: 1. This chapter was what I think we were all waiting for and I really can't wait to hear what you guys think, 2. This chapter caused me a great deal of stress and anxiety because it was hard to figure out how far I could take these two until they reached their breaking point, and 3. The obvious reason—it's Christmas! :) I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a safe and exciting New Year! See you guys in 2010 ;)**


	15. These Eyes

_**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**_

**Author's Note: Happy New Year, everyone! I hope everyone's New Year's Eve was fun and memorable! ****Thank you guys so much for the never-ending love and support for this story. You truly are amazing. ****A little side note: I'm leaving for vacation this week (Sun 1/3-Fri 1/8) so next chapter might be a day or two later than usual. I apologize in advanced if that is the case.**

**I'm also sorry I didn't get to respond to reviews for last chapter! I'll make it up to you guys! I just finished on Twilighted and it totally drained me! Please know that I read and appreciate every single one! You guys really are amazing!**

**Enjoy this chapter!**

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_**Bella POV**_

I would never tire of the feel of Edward's arms wrapped around me as we slept. My back was firmly up against his chest, his arm draped securely around my waist. It felt much like the day I had almost drowned and asked him to hold me. Only this time, the gesture held more meaning. And we both knew that.

Last night had been…intense, to say the least. Everything—_everything_—that had been on our minds, that had been torturing us, came pouring out. It was nice to finally confront all the things that had been bothering us. I could see it in Edward's eyes the night he found me and Jacob Black on the couch together, and last night during our heated argument—he had never meant to hurt me. I understood at that moment that he was sincere and for some unexplainable reason…he wanted me. I was enough for him. By some miracle…Bella Swan was enough. He made me feel like I was enough.

And although I had addressed the situation with Jacob and expressed nothing but disgust and regret for my actions, I could not help the guilt that settled deep within the pit of my stomach. I had doubted Edward's faithfulness to me and as retaliation…I had been unfaithful to him. I needed to show him—telling him wasn't enough—that what I had done with Jacob meant nothing. I didn't turn to him because I had found him attractive. I was merely looking for some kind of comfort and I…I _used_ Jacob.

I owed Jacob an apology, too.

I knew Edward and I still had so much to recover from—we had been to hell and back these last few months—but after last night, after getting all of our issues out in the open, I had no doubt that we would make it. We weren't going to hide our issues from each other anymore. I didn't want to be without Edward again. I couldn't.

I felt him stir behind me and I feigned sleep, suddenly feeling a little awkward and unsure of what to do. Sure, he was my husband, but this was technically the morning after and…I wasn't sure what was appropriate.

We had been separated for three months. I knew we wouldn't simply fall back into our relationship with ease; it would probably take time for us to go back to where we were. The more I though about it, however, the more I realized that there was no going back to the way we were. Instead, we would be creating something new…something stronger…and that thought made me smile.

"Bella," I heard him whisper as he placed a soft kiss on the back of my neck, his grasp around my waist tightening slightly.

"Mmm," I moaned, still going on with the charade of being asleep.

"What are you smiling about?"

My eyes snapped open and I looked up to see Edward leaning over, watching me with a crooked smile on his face, his eyes doing nothing to mask the absolute love and adoration he felt for me.

It was then I realized I had been caught.

"Oh, um…I just…I don't know. I was smiling?" I stammered unintelligently.

He chuckled lightly and kissed my cheek softly before resting his head in the crook of my neck. "Yea. And now you're blushing. Care to share?" he prompted softly.

I shook my head, probably turning about three shades redder. "Just…last night…how everything's…changed so quickly." My breathing was growing erratic and I wasn't sure why I was suddenly so nervous about confessing this to him.

I felt the bed shift and I glanced up to see that Edward was looking at me intensely, his eyebrows furrowed tightly together. "Do you…regret last night?" he asked me quietly.

I shook my head fervently. "No! No, of course not. I feel like last night we really talked. For the first time in three months…we actually talked." I paused and saw that he was still looking at me with that same intense gaze, waiting for me to continue. "I can't believe how stupid we were being," I said with a humorless laugh, shaking my head and silently berating myself for shutting him out the last few months. "I can't believe how stupid I was being," I added quietly.

"Bella—"

"Edward, don't, please," I quickly interjected. I knew Edward. And I knew that he was going to tell me that I had nothing to apologize for. But I couldn't let him think he sheltered all of the blame. "I need to say this. I shouldn't have ignored your phone calls that first month. I should have talked to you instead of shutting you out, and I'm sorry I let my emotions get the better of me.

"And I know you said we're past this, but…I still can't get over the guilt I feel for what I did with Jacob. It eats away at me, Edward, and I know I won't ever forgive myself. So let me have this. Let me take this guilt because so much could have changed if I had reacted differently.

"I forgave you, Edward. I forgave you for everything because I see it from your side…so clearly now. But I need you to forgive me. I need you to allow me the chance to be forgiven," I finished in barely above a whisper.

I knew Edward and I agreed that we were both to blame, but I couldn't help but get the feeling that he thought he was the only one who had caused this and he was the only one who could have prevented it. We both could have; I understood that now. He needed to as well.

"I forgive you, Bella," he replied, his voice hoarse with emotion.

I nodded and let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "Thank you," I whispered.

He cupped my cheek in one of his hands and leaned down to gently brush his lips against mine. "Can I ask you something and you won't get mad?" he asked once he had pulled away far enough to look at me.

I looked at him curiously and nodded. "You can ask me anything."

"Did you…did you have feelings for him?"

_Whoa. _

_I was NOT expecting that._

I leaned back a little further and took inventory of his expression. Nothing on his face gave away the reason for this sudden question so I shook my head. "Of course not," I replied, my voice making it sound as if it was the most ridiculous thing in the world. He visibly relaxed and suddenly I was curious. "Why do you ask?"

His gaze snapped up to mine and he swallowed a lump in his throat before answering, "I don't know. I knew he had a thing for you, so when I saw you guys on the couch…a really small part of me wondered if you had feelings for him. I mean, I knew you'd been drinking and you were hurt…but I just…I just had to know. Never mind," he quickly stammered out. I had never seen Edward show this insecure side of him before and it surprised me to no end.

"There's no one but you, Edward," I said quietly. "There's only ever been you."

He smiled that smile that always managed to make my heart melt before he kissed my lips once more. We both leaned back on the bed after a while as our minds reeled with the events of last night and all that had taken place.

"Can you believe Emmett and Rosalie's persistence?" I laughed quietly, shaking my head.

"I'm thankful for it," he replied. "I just wish they hadn't been so…_forceful_ about it."

"Well, we were acting like stubborn asses…as Rosalie puts it," I replied, smiling at the memory.

Edward sat up on his elbow and looked down at me. "She said that?" he asked, his eyes dancing with humor. I nodded. "Funny. Emmett said the exact same thing to me," he laughed.

"I just wish they hadn't given us such a hard time, you know?" I said quietly. "The games…the innuendos. They made us their own little playthings. Even though it _was_ out of love."

He nodded and sighed. "I agree. Although I didn't mind the drunken sex or truth or dare kiss," he replied huskily.

I looked at him and bit my lip softly before nodding. "Me either," I whispered.

He reached a hand out and tucked a strand piece of hair behind my ear. "What do you think they're going to expect when they get here?" he asked me quietly.

I shrugged. "Well…Emmett's either break dancing on the boat on their way over here, completely confident that their plan worked. Or…Rose is biting off every single manicured fingernail because she's scared shitless that we've killed each other."

His chest vibrated with his laugh and I relished in the feeling. It was silent for a moment longer and I noticed that Edward and I were both lying side by side on our backs, not touching. I shifted over and placed my head on his chest while hooking a leg over his and my arm across his chest. He didn't hesitate to wrap his arm around my shoulder and I realized in that moment that we would have to grow accustomed to these types of innocent touches once again. Although being with Edward was effortless, every now and I then I'd feel the shyness and wariness pass between us, neither of us knowing how far we could go and how much was too much.

My eyes had drifted closed when Edward broke the silence. "Let's not tell them," he murmured quietly.

My eyes snapped open and I glanced up at him confused. "Let's not tell them what?"

"What happened here last night."

I sat up and looked down at him incredulously. "You want to pretend we still hate each other?"

His face turned serious as he looked deeply into my eyes. "I never hated you, Bella," he said, almost inaudibly.

I knew he had never hated me and I had never hated him. No matter how hard I had tried to convince myself that I did, I knew I always loved him. The hurt in his eyes showed me that he truly thought I had stopped loving him during the time we were apart.

"I know, Edward," I replied quietly, shaking my head. "You know…I didn't mean it like that."

"Then why'd you say it?"

I laughed humorlessly and shook my head. "Do you know how hard it was to try and get over you? I mean…I had to _convince_ myself I hated you when I knew deep down…I could never hate you. You're telling me you didn't try that? That you didn't…try and change your feelings to make the pain go away…even just a little?" I finished quietly.

He sighed and reached out to take my hand in his. "I did," he answered softly. "But it was a futile attempt."

I smiled gently at him and nodded so he would know that I felt the same way. I took a deep breath. "So…back to the topic at hand. You want to pretend we're still…fighting?"

He nodded. "We don't have to lie to them. Let's just not tell them what happened. If they ask, we just won't say anything. Just for a little while. You know as well as I do that when they find out their plan worked, they're going to be smug as hell." He paused and I nodded in agreement before he continued, "And…as thankful as I am for their interferences these last couple of weeks—since I know all their little games brought us closer—I just want to be with you…have you all to myself for a while. We'll thank them when we're ready. Right now I just want to…be with you."

I understood what he was saying. As much as I loved Rosalie and Emmett for what they had done these last couple of weeks—even if I hated them for it at the time—I wanted to be able to be with Edward without all of their questions. If we told them what happened last night, they'd want all the details and I wasn't ready to relay all of the events of the previous night just yet. I also didn't want to have to go through relaying all of the crap we had been through again either. Knowing Rosalie and Emmett, they'd bring up all the shit that had torn us apart in the first place and they'd go on and on about all the things we had done wrong. I just wanted all of these things—everything that had taken place here last night—to be mine and Edward's…even if just for a little while.

"Okay," I nodded in agreement.

He lifted my hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of it gently and then nuzzling it with his nose. "I missed your smell," he murmured, a small smile on his face as he closed his eyes and inhaled.

"We should get dressed. I'm guessing they'll be here soon to pick us up," I said regretfully, not wanting to leave just yet.

He nodded and opened his eyes before kissing my palm and sitting up. We both dressed in silence and made the bed, getting rid of any and all evidence that we had been there.

After everything was in order downstairs, we made our way to the upper level and decided to sit and wait for Emmett and Rosalie to arrive. Even though we didn't want to share the details of the previous night just yet, I didn't want to be away from Edward and I didn't care if Rosalie and Emmett showed up unexpectedly and saw us sitting there, Edward's arm around me as I cuddled into his chest.

"I see them leaving the dock," Edward said after a few moments.

I lifted my head and gazed out toward the lake house and sure enough, two figures were getting into the same small boat from last night. I looked at Edward and saw that he was watching me intently.

"If you want to tell them, Bella, I'm okay with that. I just though maybe…"

"No, Edward, I know," I interjected. "I want it to be ours for a little while."

He nodded and I knew he understood exactly what I meant. I leaned forward and pressed my lips gently to his before scooting further away from him and waiting.

It didn't take long for Emmett and Rosalie to arrive. We sat and watched as Emmett tied the boat to the Carlisle's and then helped Rosalie hop on.

"Morning, lovebirds," Rosalie chirped, smiling smugly at us. "Have a good night?"

I glanced at Edward and saw that he was looking down at the ground, avoiding their gaze. I looked back at Rose and nodded. "Yea, it was nice," I said quietly, keeping my answer vague.

"Nice, as in ravenous make-up sex nice, or nice as in…just nice?" Emmett questioned curiously.

I shrugged and sighed again. "Just nice, Em." I stood up and walked over to the smaller boat. "Can we head back? I'm pretty hungry."

Emmett and Rosalie stood their staring at me with their mouths gaping open as I climbed into the little boat and sat down.

"Edward, what happened last night?" Rosalie demanded, glaring at him. "Did you hurt her? Because I swear to God, Edward, if you hurt her—"

"I didn't hurt her, Rosalie," Edward said quietly, getting up and walking over to her.

"Then what the hell happened!"

Rosalie was getting angry and it was getting harder and harder for me to keep my features neutral. I felt bad for not telling them, but at the same time I felt like they could stand to sweat it out just a little bit longer.

"Edward, let's go back to the house," I finally said to him.

Edward looked at me and nodded before kissing Rosalie's cheek and clapping Emmett on the back. He walked over to the small boat and got in, expertly untying it from Carlisle's boat and starting the engine.

"See you guys later?" Edward questioned politely, looking up at them with a neutral expression on his face. He was always better at keeping a straight face than I was.

Emmett nodded dumbly and Rosalie just stood their staring at us, her mouth still hanging wide open.

"Bye, guys," I called, smiling slightly as we moved away from the boat and headed back toward the lake house.

"That wasn't so bad," I said once we reached the dock and Edward secured the boat, taking my hand and helping me out.

Edward nodded in agreement as we started walking toward the lake house. "We'll take them out to dinner soon…thank them for everything. Let them know how grateful we are."

"Hopefully they won't kill us for keeping this from them," I retorted, only slightly joking.

"They'll understand why we did it, Bella," Edward assured me gently. "Besides, even if we were still fighting, we'd have to put on the charade of the happy married couple for the rest of the family anyway. It's the same thing now except…we won't be pretending anymore."

"You're right," I agreed as we walked into the house through the sliding glass door in the backyard.

"Do you want to go out later?" I heard him ask suddenly.

I turned around and saw Edward standing their, running a hand through his hair nervously. He looked like a timid teenager asking a girl to prom.

"Like a date?" I asked shyly.

He nodded, his eyes showing me that he was actually worried I would say no.

_As if I could ever deny him again._

"O-Okay," I stuttered quietly. Suddenly I was extremely nervous, too. This would be our first official date after everything that had happened. I wasn't sure what to expect.

He smiled a blinding smile at me just as Emmett and Rosalie walked in through the same sliding glass door we had just entered through. They halted their steps when they saw Edward and I standing their in the middle of the kitchen staring at each other.

"Hey, guys," Rosalie greeted quietly, her eyes narrowing slightly as she walked to the fridge and pulled out some ingredients for what I assumed would be an omelet. "What are you guys talking about?" she asked nonchalantly, as if testing out the waters and seeing how much information she could get out of us.

"Yea, what the hell is going on?" Emmett bellowed, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at us.

"Jesus, Em!" Rosalie scolded, slamming the carton of eggs on the counter and glaring daggers at him. "What did I say? Ease into it!"

"Oh, right." Emmett nodded and shifted his gaze to us again, lowering his voice slightly and making it sound more polite. "What in heavens is going on?"

Edward rolled his eyes and sighed, walking over to help Rosalie with the omelets. The four of us didn't speak once as we silently worked together to make breakfast. Edward and I would sometimes brush against each other while moving around and our touches would linger longer than necessary, but Emmett and Rosalie didn't notice.

Once breakfast was made, we all sat down at the table and ate in silence. Emmett and Rosalie would glance between Edward and me nonstop. They would ask vague questions to get some insight on what the hell was going on, but we kept our answers just as vague and only spoke when spoken to.

Finally, Emmett and Rosalie excused themselves, realizing that they were making no headway with us and would be much more productive if they just went to work. Edward and I sat in the den and watched t.v. as we heard Emmett and Rosalie shuffling around upstairs getting ready.

"Okay we're leaving now," Rosalie said in an almost bored tone as she stood in the doorway of the den.

I looked at her and smiled. "Bye, Rosie."

"Bye, guys," Edward said as Emmett came to stand next to her.

"Assholes," Rosalie muttered as she turned on her heel and walked away.

"So…you guys…" Emmett trailed off, rocking back on his heels.

"Bye, Em," I smiled sweetly.

"Right. Later," he nodded curtly, and then turned to leave. We heard the front door slam and the car start as the two left.

I looked back at Edward and sighed. "What now?"

"Go get ready," he said quietly, looking at me with that same intense expression from earlier. His eyes were smoldering.

I nodded dumbly, unable to form a coherent response, before exiting the den and going upstairs to shower and change. After washing myself thoroughly, I put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I went to grab my shoes when the bedroom door opened and Edward walked in, a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair dripping wet.

"Oh," I gasped, standing up straight and holding my shoes in one hand as I looked over his toned body. Sure, I had seen it many times before—and had become very reacquainted with it last night—but it was still odd seeing him like this after three months of separation.

"Sorry, I just needed to change," he said. He smirked at my expression, obviously realizing that he was the cause of my becoming flustered.

I shrugged and tried to compose myself. "It's fine. I'll, uh, I'll wait for you downstairs." I walked past him to the door.

"Bella?" he called.

I stopped in the doorway and turned to look at him. "Yea?"

The smirk was still in place as he eyed my body up and down. "Just so you know…if you were the one in a towel right now…I'd probably be going crazy trying to control myself." And with that he turned around, leaving me standing there with my mouth hanging open and no way of coming up with an adequate response. I couldn't believe he had caught on to my ogling him. But what's more is that he admitted that he'd be doing the same if our positions were reversed.

_Now I'm flustered all over again._

I mentally berated myself on the way down the stairs to the foyer. Edward was my husband; this wasn't actually our first date.

But then why did everything feel so new? How could I have asked him to make love to me just last night and then become this shy, uncertain girl today?

_Because now it's real. Now we're moving forward._

A rush of nervousness and excitement coursed through my body at this sudden realization.

"Ready?"

I jumped with a start and realized Edward was standing directly in front of me. I clutched my heart and tried to even my breathing as he chuckled and apologized for scaring me.

"Whose car are we taking?" I asked once my breathing was under control.

"Alice and Jasper went with Alice's car today, so Jasper's is still here. He said we could borrow it if we wanted to go out."

I nodded in response and followed him to the garage. He opened my door for me and I thanked him as I got in and watched him make his way toward the driver's side. We started on our way into the main part of town and I wondered where he was taking me.

"What's the plan?" I asked him as I gazed longingly out the window. Seattle was a beautiful city.

"I wanted to take you to that park. The same one we went to when Alice and Jasper had us go out."

"Why?" I asked curiously, smiling slightly at him.

He shrugged and glanced at me once before looking back at the road. "I want to do it right this time," he murmured, more to himself than me.

I looked down at my lap and smiled to myself as we continued on with the rest of the drive in silence. Edward and I both got out of the car once we arrived and we began walking on the same pathway we had walked that night. It was late in the afternoon now, so there weren't too many people around.

"No jazz band, huh?" I smirked, looking at the empty expand of grass where the stage had been that night when we had run into Jessica and Mike.

He chuckled and shook his head. "No, no jazz band tonight. I would have brought you later, but Carlisle's cooking dinner tonight." He paused and I looked up at him, seeing that same smoldering gaze from earlier. "I can't be selfish and keep you to myself," he said softly.

I blushed and looked down at the ground, not sure how to respond. He had been doing an extremely good job of making me blush today.

Suddenly, I felt his warm hand slip into mine, threading our fingers together. I looked at our now joined hands and smiled, raising them to my lips and placing a kiss on his knuckles. I looked up at him and smiled gently as he continued staring at me.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" I asked him, laughing slightly.

"Like what?" he asked in a low voice, his eyes dancing across my face, making me melt under his gaze.

"I don't know. I just notice you keep…staring at me like that." I wasn't sure how to explain it and now I felt like an idiot for trying.

He stopped walking and since our hands were still intertwined, I stopped as well. He placed his free hand on the side of my face and I leaned into his touch.

"Bella, it's been over three months since I've gotten to look at you. Really look at you. I can't help it if I'm staring."

My breathing hitched at his confession and I grabbed the hand that was placed on my face. "Then keep staring. Because I'll be staring right back," I whispered confidently.

His beautiful crooked smile returned and he kissed my lips gently before we continued on our walk, our hands lightly swinging back and forth between us.

"Tell me what you've been doing these last few months," I prompted after a few moments of walking in silence.

I looked up just as he ran a hand through his hair. "Uh…not much, really. I went to work, came home, ate, slept. Everyday, it was the same thing." He paused and looked at me.

"What about you?"

I shrugged. "Same."

"How's the magazine going?" he asked.

"Good, actually. Although I think I'm finally ready for something a little…more. My editor said she'd give me a great recommendation so I've been weighing my options."

"_New York Times_," he suggested, smiling slightly.

I shrugged and sighed. "I don't know. Maybe."

"I thought that was your dream," he replied, sounding confused.

"It was…I just…I don't know. I was actually thinking of trying to get a novel published."

"A novel?" he asked, sounding excited. "You're writing a novel, Bella? Why didn't you tell me?"

"We haven't really been talking," I quipped, laughing humorlessly. He nodded and sighed, tightening his hold on my hand. "I'm almost finished with it. I'm hoping to find someone who will edit it and then help me get it published. It's kind of on the backburner right now."

"Well, I'd love to read it. When it's finished." I looked up and saw nothing but sincerity behind his words.

"Okay," I nodded. "What about you? How's the law firm?" I asked, effectively shifting the conversation over to him.

"It's great," he answered immediately. "Though…I'm still in the process of hiring a new assistant slash secretary. It's tough to find somebody good these days."

I nodded in understanding and couldn't help the next question from bubbling out of me. "What happened with Tanya…after I left that night?"

I saw him stiffen slightly at the memory. "I told her to pack her shit and get the hell out," he replied without hesitation.

"You said that to her?" I asked in disbelief. Edward rarely talked to anyone like that, especially a woman.

He nodded, running a hand through his hair again. "All I was thinking about in that moment was getting to you." He looked up at me, his eyes showing all of the pain and regret he was feeling. I nodded and looked down until he spoke again. "Did you go to Jacob, or did he come to you?" he asked me suddenly.

I sighed and looked back up at him. I motioned for a bench and he nodded as we sat down close to each other, our hands still intertwined and laying in my lap. I looked down at his hand and played with his fingers as I spoke.

"He was in the hallway…doing laundry or something, I guess. I was so upset and he was right there comforting me, so I let him in. We drank and…well…yea…" I trailed off, looking at him since he had walked in shortly after and knew what had happened.

"I'm sorry I keep bringing it up," he said quickly, shaking his head. "I just…I still can't get the image out of my head."

I looked down guiltily and avoided meeting his gaze.

"Is that how you felt when you walked in on me and Tanya?" he asked quietly.

I looked up at him, tired of being scared and cowardly with my emotions. "Yea, but that was different. Now when I look at it…_God_, it's so different." I laughed humorlessly and shook my head as Edward waited for me to elaborate. "I went to Jacob because I chose to. Tanya threw herself at you; you didn't have a choice. I did. That's what makes it so different. You'll never understand how sorry I am, Edward."

He shook his head and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, kissing the side of my head. "Bella…you said you forgave me for the mistakes I made in the past, right?" I nodded and he continued, "And I forgave you. But obviously neither of us has forgiven ourselves."

I looked up at him, shocked at his confession and he nodded slowly. "Edward—" I started, wanting to tell him that he needed to forgive himself, that he needed to move on.

But then I'd be a hypocrite.

"We'll work on forgiving ourselves together, okay? You're not alone," he assured me gently.

I nodded and sighed. "Neither are you."

He smiled slightly at me before leaning in and pressing his lips firmly to mine. I leaned into him, wrapping one arm around his waist and pulling him closer to me. I was getting really into it and just when I thought I would rip his clothes off right there in the middle of the park, he pulled away, leaving me absolutely breathless.

I opened my eyes and saw him watching me again with the same expression he had been having on his face through out the day. "You're doing it again," I accused lightly.

"What?" he asked distractedly, never taking his eyes off me.

"Staring."

He smiled softly at me before tucking a strand piece of hair gently behind my ear. "I missed your eyes," he murmured, seemingly avoiding my statement.

"What did you miss about them?" I asked rather breathlessly, though it no longer had anything to do with the kiss.

"I missed how they tell me everything."

"What are they telling you right now?" I asked, becoming completely entranced in his gaze.

He searched my eyes intently for a moment before answering, "That you love me."

"Really?" I teased, smiling slightly at him. "Maybe they're lying."

He shook his head. "No. Your eyes never lie to me." He was completely serious and my smiled faded, all traces of joking and teasing gone.

"You're right," I said, my voice shaking slightly. "They're not lying."

He smirked at me and I leaned in again, pressing my lips to his. I told myself it was to wipe the smirk off his pretty little face, but I knew it was just because I couldn't keep my lips to myself when he looked at me like that.

After sitting there wrapped in each other's arms for a while longer, we finally got up and walked the rest of the way around the park until we got back to the car.

We didn't do anything of consequence for the rest of the day. We walked around town, Edward held my hand, and every now and then I couldn't fight the urge to kiss him. We kissed a lot. It was like we were in our honeymoon stage all over again and I couldn't get enough of him.

We finally headed back home just in time for dinner. As we walked in through the front door, we saw Emmett and Rosalie sitting in the living room watching t.v. They glanced up at us when we walked in and eyed us warily.

"Hey, guys," I greeted nonchalantly as I kicked off my shoes and walked into the living room.

"Hi," Rose snapped back. I suppressed a giggle at her frustration.

"How was your day?" Edward asked casually as he came to sit on the couch beside me, being careful not to sit too close.

"Fine," Emmett replied in a clipped tone. "You?"

"Fine," Edward nodded curtly, smirking slightly and mimicking Emmett's tone of voice.

"Dinner's ready, guys!" I heard Esme call from the kitchen.

Edward stood up and waited for me to walk past him toward the kitchen. I glanced behind us and saw that Rosalie and Emmett were still staring daggers at our backs.

We sat at the table and everyone flowed into easy conversation. Alice was going on excitedly about her day and Esme discussed one of the parties she was planning this week.

During a lull in the conversation, Edward placed his hand on the back of my neck and massaged gently as we continued eating. I looked at him and smiled slightly, grateful because my muscles had been feeling extremely tense lately.

"Aw, look at those two," Esme cooed sweetly, watching us.

I blushed three shades of red and lowered my head a bit as I continued eating and Edward put his hand back in his lap.

"Yea," Rosalie snorted, stabbing her fork into her steak with a little too much force. "Look at those two."

All eyes turned to Rosalie, seeing as everyone had sensed the hostility in her voice.

"I'm just so jealous," she laughed tightly, trying to mask the sarcasm in her tone and failing epically. She coughed uncomfortably and Emmett worriedly slapped her on the back, to which she smacked him upside the head.

Everyone watched on in confusion and slight amusement. Everyone, that is, except for Edward. I glanced at him and his eyes were solely trained on mine. He was staring again. Instead of calling him out on it, I just stared right back.

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**Author's Note: ****A sweet chapter for my sweet readers. So Emmett and Rosalie do not have a clue what is going on. Are Edward and Bella being unfair? Maybe. But do they deserve some time for themselves? Most definitely. Some fun times ahead! Don't worry, Emmett and Rosalie will not be letting them off that easy :)**


	16. The Fire

**_Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer._**

**Author's Note: I'm glad everyone liked the light-heartedness in chapter 15. The sweetness is nice for a change, huh? ;) I'm also very happy that you guys agree with my decision for Edward and Bella to keep things from Emmett and Rosalie for now. I was a bit worried that they would be criticized for it because it seems a little bit selfish, but I think we all know they deserve to have this time for themselves. ****Also, I am extremely sorry for the later than usual chapter. I explained in all in a post in the forums so you can read it there if you want :) Enjoy this chapter! **

* * *

**_Bella POV_**

"Alice, that one is perfect."

She turned around and looked at me incredulously. "Really? Isn't it a little too…poofy?" she asked, lifting the long skirt of the dress and flinging it around as if to prove her point.

When she said it like that, it did look a little bit like an upside down ice cream cone from Rite Aid—double scooped.

Rosalie and I had been spending the entire day with Alice, fitting for our bridesmaid dresses and helping Alice make a selection for her wedding dress from the options she had set aside to show us. I was surprised she had waited so long to get started, seeing as Alice was always the planner, but I didn't make a mention of this for fear of stressing her out even more than she already was.

"Seriously, Alice, that's the third one you've tried on," Rosalie chimed in. "And the other two were absolutely beautiful."

Alice nodded and let out a deep breath. "I know, but the wedding is like a week and a half away, and I am just so…ugh! I don't know." She shook her head and took deep, calming breaths. "Okay, so this one is a no," she mumbled to herself, going into the large dressing room to try on a fourth dress.

I smiled and sighed, sitting down on one of the big comfy couches with a glass of champagne that one of the women who was helping Alice had handed me.

"I hope fourth time's the charm," I teased, looking up at Rosalie. She was not amused.

Needless to say, Rosalie and Emmett had not been on good terms with Edward and I since the previous day. We weren't giving them any information and as far as they were concerned, Edward and I were still getting a divorce. I did feel guilty. I really, really did. But then I would remember the hell they had put us through and how wonderful it was being with Edward now without having to answer any of their meddling questions, that it made the guilt reside…just a little bit.

"We're going out tonight," she stated simply, leaving no room for arguments as she plopped down on the couch next to me, thanking the woman who handed her a champagne glass.

"I thought Alice and Jasper were going to go to his parents' house for dinner," I replied, confused.

"Oh, they are," she nodded, finishing a sip of champagne and looking over at me. "I meant you, me, Emmett, and Edward."

_Oh…fuck._

"Why?" I asked, practically choking on the champagne I had barely just swallowed.

She shrugged noncommittally, swirling her drink around in her glass. "I don't know. Just thought a nice dinner would be…nice," she replied, almost ominously, turning to look at me with an evil glint in her eyes.

I narrowed my own eyes in return. "More games?" I hedged, annoyed.

"Why, Bella, what ever do you mean?" she asked, feigning innocence and batting her eyelashes at me.

"Enough with the subtlety, Rose. What's really going on?" I snapped.

"I don't know. You tell me," she bit back just as sharply.

"There is nothing to tell," I stated with a tone of finality.

"Oh yes there is."

"Rose, you're being immature."

"And you're keeping things from me. What happened with Edward?"

"Nothing!"

"You're lying!" she accused, seething.

"Just drop it!"

"No! Something happened! Tell me now! What happened with Edward?" she repeated, louder this time.

"What's wrong with Edward?" Alice's worried tone broke through mine and Rosalie's untimely bickering.

My head snapped in Alice's direction, eyes widening in shock at the fact that I hadn't heard her approach. "Nothing, he's fine," I answered quickly, sitting back in my seat and trying to calm my heavy breathing.

"That dress is perfect, Alice," Rosalie quipped harshly, obviously not having recovered from what had quickly morphed into a screaming match between Rosalie and I.

Alice looked at her like she had grown an extra head. "What's going on with you guys?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Nothing," Rosalie and I replied in unison.

"I just heard you guys fighting," Alice pointed out, still waiting for a better explanation.

"We were fighting over who had the prettier bridesmaid dress," Rosalie answered, smiling sweetly. I gave her a strange look.

"They look exactly the same," Alice said, eyebrows scrunched tightly together in confusion.

Rosalie must have realized how stupid her lie had sounded because she tried laughing it off uncomfortably. "Oh, well, I mean…I'm taller, so…mine is a little different. And better," she added quickly.

"But I heard you _specifically ask_, 'What happened with Edward?'" Alice retorted, not letting it go.

"Oh, yea. Well…the thing about that is…fuck, Alice!" Rosalie suddenly burst out, throwing her arms in the air in frustration and jumping off the couch, storming away to the restrooms. Alice and I just watched her, confusion and slight terror etched on our faces.

"Bella?" Alice quietly said after a moment of silence had passed.

I looked up at her and sighed, not sure how I was going to handle the line of questioning she was definitely about to throw at me.

"How's this one?" she asked, walking back a little to allow me to see her dress better.

I looked at her, puzzled as to why she wasn't pestering me for answers, but she just smiled softly at me. It was a mutual understanding. She could tell I didn't want to talk about it and she wasn't going to push it; she was giving me a free pass—something Alice never did. But I was extremely thankful and smiled in return, standing up to get a better view of the dress she had on.

"It's perfect," I said softly, nodding my head in affirmation.

She beamed at me before walking over to the full length mirrors and looking at it herself. "Perfect," she whispered, a single tear falling down her face.

I watched with pride and excitement as Alice had her dress fitted. Rosalie returned shortly after the outburst and apologized to Alice for blowing up at her like that. Alice accepted her apology, but distanced herself from Rosalie the rest of the day, probably for fear of a repeat incident.

Once everything was done at the bridal shop and Alice had her dress all sized up and ordered, the three of us went back to the car and headed home. Alice and Jasper left shortly after we returned and the only other people home were Emmett, Edward, and Esme.

I avoided Rosalie like the plague, instead going into the kitchen to help Esme with whatever she was doing.

"Hey, do you need any help with dinner?" I asked as I leaned up against the counter.

She turned away from the oven and smiled at me. "Oh no, sweetheart, thank you. It's a simple dish, anyway, since it's just going to be Carlisle and me tonight."

I nodded and smiled before her words finally registered with me. "Wait, why is it just you and Carlisle?"

She looked at me confused. "Rose and Emmett said they were taking you and Edward out to dinner tonight," she replied.

_Oh my God._

"Oh yea," I responded, smiling tightly. "So sweet of them." Even I sensed the sarcasm in my voice.

"Are you alright, Bella?" Esme asked, concern evident in her tone as she came to stand in front of me, taking one of my hands in hers.

I nodded and let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "Yea, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" I forced a smile and I knew she could tell.

"I don't know," she started, searching my eyes. "Mothers just get these feelings, you know?" she smiled at me and winked. "You'll understand one day. One day soon, I hope."

My breathing hitched at her not so subtle hint and she laughed quietly at my blush.

"Carlisle and I can't wait to be grandparents. I thought Emmett and Rosalie would be the first to supply since they're the oldest," she laughed. "But I have a feeling you and Edward might be the ones to make our dreams come true first."

I had no idea what to say in response to that so I ended up just standing there, gaping at her like a fish before finally composing myself. "I hope so," I murmured, still in a daze from her admission.

"Have fun tonight, Bella," Esme said, kissing my forehead and then hugging me tightly. "And come to me for anything, okay?"

At that moment, I felt guilt. And not the kind of guilt I felt with Emmett and Rosalie—because that was conditional—but the kind of guilt that swallows you up whole and then spits you back out. I never wanted to hurt Esme, or anyone in my family, so I knew that we could never tell them what had happened. If they knew we had kept something like this from them for months, they would feel nothing but betrayed. I could never do that to them.

Esme finally pulled away from me and brushed my hair back before shooing me out of the kitchen so she could finish cooking. I laughed and kissed her cheek before going in search of Edward, making sure to look around the corners before entering any room for fear of running into—

"Bella!"

_Oh crap._

I froze in place and slowly turned around. Emmett was standing there, his arms crossed as he took in my appearance. It was almost comical, the way he was standing there scrutinizing me like some sort of _Law and Order_ detective.

"Dinner tonight," he declared evenly. "Prepare for the nightmare of a lifetime."

"What?" I snapped.

"Oh, shit, Rosalie is going to kill me. Don't tell her I said that to you," he said quickly, his arms dropping as he morphed back into the same goofy Emmett I had always known.

I rolled my eyes, confused, but decided I didn't care enough to have him elaborate. Instead, I made my way to the den, hoping to find Edward there.

"_Just tell me_," came Rosalie's frustrated voice from inside. I rounded the corner and stopped in the doorway. Rosalie was perched beside Edward on the couch while he scrubbed his hands roughly over his face and sighed.

"Rosalie, shut up," he complained, dropping his hands and looking at her. He must have noticed me shift from his peripheral vision because his eyes snapped over to me. He smiled every so slightly before catching himself, causing Rosalie to turn her head and look at me.

"We're leaving at eight," she stated matter-of-factly as she got up from the couch and brushed past me.

I watched her go, making sure she was out of sight, before closing the door and walking over to Edward, plopping down beside him as he put his arm around me and kissed the top of my head.

"I missed you," he breathed into my hair. I smiled softly at his simple statement and pulled away to look up at him. I placed a chaste kiss on his lips, lingering there for a little bit before pulling back and sitting up to face him.

"How did the dress fittings go?" he asked, turning off the t.v. before focusing his attention on me.

I shrugged. "Fine. Oh, Alice found her dress," I said, my mood brightening immensely.

"That's great. She was worried about that," he smiled, placing his hand on my knee.

I nodded and then groaned, my good mood dissipating as quickly as it had surfaced. Edward noticed and his eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.

"What is it, love?" he asked softly.

I looked up at him and let out a deep sigh. "Tonight," was all I said. It was all that needed to be said because Edward's eyes lit up with understanding and he nodded.

"I know," he replied. "I didn't think this would happen. I thought they'd just…let it go."

"Do Emmett and Rosalie _ever_ let anything go?" I retorted, letting out a humorless laugh.

"No, I guess not," he answered, chuckling darkly.

"Let's just go and get it over with. Maybe after tonight, they'll let it go." I didn't even find _myself_ convincing.

He nodded, stroking my knee gently with his thumb as he watched the movement intently. I stared at him, once again struck by how beautiful Edward really was. It may have been odd to call a man beautiful, but when I said it, I wasn't merely talking about his physical attributes—though those could be considered insanely gorgeous—but I also saw…him. Edward. Edward was just…beautiful. In every possible, palpable, significant way.

I reluctantly pulled away from him after a few minutes, knowing we had to go get ready. "Come on." I grabbed his hand and pulled him out with me and up to our bedroom.

We got dressed in relative silence. Every now and then we would have a short discussion about discretion and how Emmett and Rosalie didn't need to know anything we didn't want to tell them, and that we didn't need to tell them anything if we didn't want to.

True to their word, at eight o' clock sharp, Emmett came knocking on our door, asking if we were ready. With a deep breath and a meaningful glance at Edward, I opened the door and we headed downstairs.

Rosalie drove her red convertible to the restaurant/bar we were going to. I couldn't help but steal glances at Edward in the backseat, only to get caught every time because he was stealing glances right back.

We got a tall round table near the back of the restaurant and Emmett ordered two pitchers of beer for the table as well as six glasses. I shot him a confused look as I sat in the stool beside Edward; Emmett and Rosalie sitting across from us. It was then I noticed that there was an empty seat between Rosalie and I and one between Emmett and Edward.

"I thought Alice and Jasper weren't coming tonight," Edward said, sounding just as confused as I felt.

"Oh, they're not," Emmett replied, smirking and glancing at Rosalie as the pitchers and glasses arrived.

"Then why did you order six glasses, Em?" I asked.

Rosalie turned around in her seat and seemed to be looking for someone. "Oh, there she is," she said excitedly, turning to look at Emmett before hopping off her stool.

A brown haired girl appeared from between the tables and crowds and Rosalie greeted her with an enormous hug. "Angela!" she squealed. "I'm so glad you could make it!" Rosalie turned around, taking Angela's hand, and led her to the chair between Emmett and Edward. "This is Edward," Rosalie introduced, smiling brightly. "Edward this is Angela."

Edward stared at her for the longest time before finally extending his hand out to her and forcing a small smile. "Nice to meet you, Angela."

"You too, Edward. Rosalie's told me a lot about you," she replied quietly. She seemed like a shy, sweet girl. Definitely someone that I would be friends with in high school. But that didn't stop the confusion I felt as to why Emmett and Rosalie had invited her without telling us. And better yet, why Rosalie was only introducing her to Edward.

Edward glanced at me. "Oh, and this is—"

"My friend, Bella," Rosalie loudly interrupted. "She's visiting from New York."

"Wha—" I started, only to be interrupted again when a dark haired man about mine and Edward's age approached the table and smiled widely at Emmett.

"Ben, my man!" Emmett greeted him, doing one of those manly high five things before looking at me and smiling hugely. "This is Bella. Rose's friend."

Ben looked at me and smiled before walking over to the empty seat beside me and sitting down. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella," he said politely, extending his hand out to me. I just stared at him, completely confused as to what was going on, but also not wanting to be rude. I put my hand in his and was shocked as hell when he kissed the back of it.

I felt Edward shift a bit in his seat beside me, but was thankful when he remained under control. I didn't want to make a scene.

"N-Nice to meet you," I stammered out. "Um, Rose, can I talk you for a second?" I pretty much demanded as I stood up from my seat and excused myself from the table, grabbing Rosalie's hand before she could even reply.

I dragged her to the girls' bathroom, closing the door and checking under the stalls to make sure we were alone before standing up straight and glaring at her.

"What the hell are you doing?" I seethed.

"Bella, calm down," she said quietly.

"Don't tell me to fucking calm down! What the hell are you doing?" I demanded again.

"Okay, okay. You and Edward are annoying the hell out of us. You're not talking—no matter what we try to do—and you're letting your marriage fall apart. So…Emmett and I figured, since you don't want to be together, maybe it's time to see what else is out there," she explained calmly.

"See what's out there?" I repeated.

She shrugged. "Yea." She noticed my murderous glare and quickly added, "We're doing it because we care about you guys and want you to be happy. If you're not happy together, maybe you'll be happy with other people." She nodded, as if trying to convince herself more than me.

And then I understood.

_Those manipulative little assholes._

"You're not doing this for us," I accused furiously. "You and Emmett are doing this to mess with us…to play more games. Try and teach us a lesson. Maybe…show us that we can't stand to see ourselves dating other people?" I suggested harshly, my anger growing the more I spoke.

She stared at me blankly for a few seconds before finally letting out a huge breath and rolling her eyes. "I knew I should have stopped at the whole 'maybe you'll be happy with other people' crap," she mumbled to herself. "Okay, fine!" she snapped. "We're doing this to get back at you guys for being stupid! So what? If you and Edward are really over, it won't matter."

I shook my head and laughed humorlessly before purposefully bumping shoulders with her and stomping my way back to the table. Emmett and Ben were engaged in conversation while Edward and Angela were just sitting there awkwardly, saying one or two words to each other.

"Where did you go?" Emmett boomed happily as I took my previous seat at the table.

I glared at him before looking at Ben, feeling bad for blowing him off earlier. "Hi, sorry about that. I'm Bella."

He nodded and smiled. "I've heard," he teased.

I laughed quietly before glancing at Edward and swallowing hard when I saw he was glaring at me. I shook my head minutely, silently telling him I would explain later. His expression didn't change as he looked back at Angela.

"So," I started uncomfortably when Emmett left the table, probably to go find Rosalie. "Did Emmett invite you?" I asked him.

He nodded, taking a sip of his beer and smiling. "Yea. He called and said he wanted to set me up on a blind date, so I figured, why not?"

I nodded and managed a polite smile. I wasn't exactly sure how I could go about diffusing this situation. I was about to come clean to Ben and tell him what was going on when he started talking again.

"Where are you from?" he asked conversationally.

"New York," I replied in a clipped tone.

"Ah, the big apple. You, uh, you don't have a boyfriend back home?" he brought up casually.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Edward move ever so slightly, as if angling himself to be able to hear our quiet conversation better. I could only hear bits and pieces of the one he was having with Angela—it was mostly little questions and then there would be a gap in the conversation.

Angela seemed like a nice girl and Ben seemed like a good guy. I truly felt bad that they had been dragged into this situation, but I didn't know how to explain it to them in a way that didn't make Edward and me look completely crazy.

"Uh," I contemplated his question. Edward was sitting right there and had no idea why Emmett and Rosalie had set this whole thing up. I didn't want to say the wrong thing.

"It's…complicated," I finally stated, hating the way I saw Edward run a hand roughly through his hair.

I finally turned a bit in my seat so I could face Angela and Edward while still including Ben in the conversation.

"Hi, I'm Bella," I introduced myself politely, extending my hand out to her.

She smiled at me and shook it. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Angela."

I nodded and let go of her hand, looking around and wondering where Emmett and Rosalie had gone off to. Perhaps they had just realized how low this was of them and were trying to figure out a way to fix it. If they were smart, though, they would know not to come anywhere near me at the moment. I was livid. They had pulled some really shady shit in the past and I had let it go. But this? This was just wrong. They were bringing other people into something that did not concern them and just making everything more complicated than it already was.

"What did Rosalie tell you about us?" Edward asked Angela in a neutral tone.

"Um, nothing really. Just that you were Emmett's brother and you're visiting for Alice's wedding," she replied, shrugging.

I turned to Ben. "And what did Emmett say to _you_?" I asked.

He looked at me curiously before shrugging as well. "That you're a friend of the family's and you're in town for Alice's wedding…too," he finished quietly, sounding confused when he realized how odd it was that Emmett and Rosalie had set them up with two people who were somehow connected to each other.

Our conversation was interrupted when Emmett and Rosalie finally returned to the table, both looking at least a little bit guilty. I shook my head at them and decided I would mess with them a little bit. If they wanted to fuck with us, then I would fuck with them right back.

What I was about to do was wrong—using Ben like this—but I was so fueled by my anger toward Emmett and Rosalie that I just didn't care. So, with a deep sigh, I turned to Ben and placed my hand on his shoulder.

"So, uh, how do you know Emmett?" I asked him in what I hoped was a seductive tone.

Ben seemed taken aback by my forward-ness at first, but quickly composed himself and smiled, placing a hand on my knee. "We work at the same advertisement agency," he replied.

I nodded, trying to seem interested. "What's that like?" I asked, leaning in towards him a little bit and smiling.

"I'm going to the bar," Edward suddenly announced, getting up from his stool.

"You have a beer right in front of you," Emmett pointed out.

"Not strong enough," he muttered before storming past him. I watched him go, suddenly feeling like a complete and utter bitch. I was so blinded by my anger, that I hadn't even taken the most important person into account. And now I had hurt him.

"So, Bella." I jumped slightly when I felt Ben's hand slide higher up on my thigh. "What is it you do for a living?"

I looked back at him and swallowed hard, gently pushing his hand off of my leg and smiling apologetically. "I'm a journalist," I answered distractedly, looking down at my full glass of beer. I picked it up and drank half of it in one gulp.

"Bella writes for one of the most prestigious magazines in New York," Rosalie boasted.

I glared at her. "Shut up, Rosalie."

Her mouth closed with a snap, before she looked at Emmett and tucked a strand piece of hair nervously behind her ear.

"Can you guys, like, leave?" I rudely asked them after a few minutes of silence passed between us. They stared at me, a mixture of shock and remorse on their faces, as I downed the rest of my beer.

"Bells—" Emmett started softly.

"_Go_, Emmett," I spat harshly, slamming my glass of beer on the table roughly.

Rosalie quickly got up and grabbed her bag as Emmett's shoulder's fell and he slowly climbed off his bar stool, following Rosalie silently out of the restaurant.

Anyone else would have told us that it was mine and Edward's fault, that we had brought this upon ourselves by keeping our reconciliation from them. But that did not excuse their actions. I wasn't sure what made them continue pushing and pushing and pushing. I didn't understand what part of this seemed okay to them. Was it supposed to be funny? Was it meant to teach us a lesson? Hurt us? Because it did that. It hurt us.

I finally looked at Ben and Angela once Emmett and Rosalie were gone. "I'm really sorry, you guys. Emmett and Rosalie didn't tell you the fully story." I took a deep breath, not sure how much I was willing to entrust in these two strangers. "Edward and I are married. We had problems and were going to get a divorce. This is Emmett and Rosalie's way of getting us back together," I explained, keeping it vague and skimming over details.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," Angela gasped, seeming a bit embarrassed. "If it makes you feel any better, I felt no chemistry whatsoever with Edward," she said quickly, becoming flustered.

I laughed slightly at her attempt to add some humor to the situation and wiped away a stray tear that had fallen down my face.

"Yea, and don't take this the wrong way, but…I'm kind of more into girls who wear glasses," Ben said. My eyes snapped up to him and I saw that he was looking at Angela and smiling slightly.

"Oh," I responded quietly, looking back and forth between the two as they continued staring dreamily at each other. I then noticed Angela was wearing glasses. "Oh!" I laughed at myself and reached into my purse, pulling out my wallet and a few bills, handing them to Ben. "Here, you guys go buy yourselves some drinks. On me."

"Bella, we don't want you're money," Ben urged, shaking his head.

"As an apology for tonight," I offered, still holding the money out to him.

He smiled slightly at me before taking the money. "Thank you," he replied sincerely.

"Yea, thank you, Bella. And I'm so sorry about all of this," Angela repeated, standing up from her seat as Ben walked over to her.

I shook my head. "Please. Don't apologize."

My breathing hitched when I caught sight of Edward's bronze hair as he made his way back through the crowd. He approached the table holding a half empty glass of whiskey and looked at the three of us in confusion.

"Ben and Angela are leaving," I stated dumbly.

"Yea, Bella told us everything. We're so sorry for the trouble," Angela said sweetly.

Edward, still not knowing what Emmett and Rosalie had set up, just nodded slowly, the biggest look of bewilderment on his face. "Oh, uh, no problem." It almost sounded like a question.

"It was nice to meet you guys," Angela smiled, waving at us as Edward sat in the stool next to me, obviously still trying to make sense of everything that was going on.

"Yea, later, guys," Ben called as he lead Angela through the crowd toward the bar.

I turned in my seat to face Edward as he played with his half empty glass. "Edward," I started quietly, not sure if he was upset with me. "Em and Rose…they set this up."

"Yea, I gathered that," he mumbled quietly, still not looking at me.

"They did it to…teach us a lesson or something. Another one of their games." I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd be holding. "They went too far."

He looked up at me when he heard my voice shake slightly on the last part. All of the anger and hurt I was feeling toward Emmett and Rosalie was mixing with the guilt and pain of possibly having hurt Edward and it was starting to make me an emotional wreck.

"When I flirted with Ben, I did it to get back at Rosalie and Emmett. I didn't even consider what you would think. I'm so sorry, Edward." I shook my head at my own stupidity and waited with baited breath as I tried to gauge his expression. He was silent for a few moments before he finally spoke.

"It killed me…seeing him touch you. I had to get up and leave just so I wouldn't rip his arms off," he said in a low voice, staring at me intently.

"You're not mad at me?" I asked in a small voice.

He reached out and tucked my hair behind my ear before placing his hand on the side of my face and stroking my cheek gently with his thumb. "No. Because we trust each other, remember?" he whispered.

I smiled through tear-filled eyes and leaned in, pressing my lips gently to his, neither of us making a move to deepen the kiss. When we finally broke apart, I got up off my stool and threw my arms around his neck, resting my head in the crook of his neck and standing between his parted legs.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and held me to him tightly, kissing the side of my head. "So, where did Emmett and Rosalie go?" he asked, gently rubbing his hand up and down my back.

"I told them to leave," I sniffed, wiping some tears away with my hand. "I was so angry with them." I pulled away to look at him, but made no move to distance my body from his. "They told Angela and Ben the truth about us, just leaving out the fact that we were married." I laughed humorlessly. "I think they thought that…if we saw each other becoming interested in someone else, that it would somehow…make us want each other again."

"Good in theory," he mused, kissing my nose.

I smiled slightly at him and nodded. "Horrible when executed."

He chuckled and squeezed my hips gently. "You know, they did a lot of fucked up things these last few weeks, but this definitely topped it all."

I nodded, having been thinking the same thing earlier. "And to think I was actually feeling guilty for keeping this from them," I said, motioning between the two of us.

He sighed and leaned in to rest his head in the crook of my neck, wrapping his arms securely around my waist and pulling me to his chest once again. I ran my fingers through his hair and kissed the top of his head as he let out a content sigh.

"Let's go home," he whispered, kissing the side of my neck before looking up at me and slowly getting up from his seat, taking my hand in his and kissing me once more on the lips before leading me out of the bar.

We had to call a cab since we had come with Emmett and Rosalie, but I didn't mind. I enjoyed the time alone I had with Edward, sitting in his arms, holding his hand, and kissing him as much as I wanted.

We paid the cab driver and Edward held my door open for me before leading me up the porch steps to the front door, taking out his key and unlocking it. He pushed it open and motioned for me to go inside first.

It was past eleven and everyone had work the next day, so I was surprised to see a dim light coming from the living room. As I heard Edward close the door behind us, I rounded the corner of the foyer and saw Emmett and Rosalie sitting on the couch, both looking lost in thought. There eyes snapped up when they heard Edward's heavy footfalls.

"You're mad," was the first thing Rosalie said as she jumped up from her spot on the couch and looked at us guiltily.

"Understatement of the fucking century," I spat back.

"Tonight we went too far," she added quickly.

"You think?" Edward bit back, laughing without humor.

"It was wrong," Emmett chimed in, standing up next to Rosalie. "But, you know, when you're coming up with a plan, you're thinking…'wow, _good _fucking plan.' And then it's executed and you see the consequences and you're like…'shit, bad fucking plan.' You know?" He smiled a weak, dimpled smile at us, looking a lot like a frightened child about to be scolded by his parents.

"We're sorry," Rosalie finished.

"Really fucking sorry," Emmett tacked on.

I didn't want to get into it with them now. They seemed sincere in their apologies, but that didn't make up for what they had done. Suddenly, Edward and I keeping our little secret seemed like a really good plan. Maybe we could have some fun with them for a little while and see how _they _like it.

"I'm really tired, so goodnight," I said quietly, smiling weakly at them.

They offered a weak 'goodnight' in return as I started walking up the stairs, Edward following close behind me. I was surprised he had kept his temper in check with them, but I was also extremely relieved. We definitely did not want to start something up with them, especially not tonight.

We went through our normal nightly ritual of brushing our teeth and changing into our pajamas before climbing into bed together. However, there was something different about Edward's demeanor tonight. He didn't pull me to lie on his chest like he usually did when we were about to go to sleep. I was about to ask him what was wrong when suddenly his lips attacked mine.

I was startled for a moment and didn't react, but eventually threaded my hands through his hair and held his face closer to mine. These kisses were fervent, passionate, and I didn't even know where they had come from.

He trailed kisses down my jaw to my neck, sucking the sensitive skin there. When I finally caught my breath enough to speak, I had to ask.

"Edward?" I whispered shakily as he continued kissing and sucking my neck. "What are you…_oh_." God, it felt so good. "What are you doing?"

"Having to sit next to you tonight, pretending you weren't mine," he breathed, sucking my earlobe into his mouth and causing me to gasp. "Seeing his hands on you and not being able to do anything about it…_fuck_…I just wanted to throw you down on the table and show everyone who you belonged to."

I moaned again when he gently bit down on my earlobe. It had been so long since I had heard Edward talk this way. His voice was dripping with pure lust and sex and it only succeeded in causing my panties to dampen even more than they already were.

"Show me who I belong to," I whispered breathlessly.

He froze, and for a minute, I thought I had said something wrong. But then he trailed his lips down my neck again and then back up to my ear.

"Are you challenging me, love?" he whispered into my ear, causing me to shiver slightly.

"Only if you think it's a challenge," I teased, shifting my hips underneath him, causing a growl to erupt from somewhere deep within his chest.

I had missed this playfulness between us—this fiery, all consuming passion. The time apart had only seemed to amplify our feelings because at the moment, I wanted nothing more than for Edward to just…take me.

"I'll show you who you belong to," he growled into my ear before roughly pulling my pajama bottoms and panties down my legs and wasting no time slipping two fingers inside of me. "Shit, Bella. Do I do this to you?" he asked as he slowly began pumping his fingers in and out of me at a steady pace.

"You're the only one who does this to me, Edward," I breathed, kissing his neck and moaning a little too loudly.

"Fuck," he hissed as he curled his fingers inside of me. I couldn't handle the teasing any longer.

"Edward, please, just take me," I pleaded, my breathing starting to pick up.

He pulled his fingers out of me and slipped his hand into the elastic of his pajama pants. I was kissing his neck and wondering what was taking him so long, when I looked down and…_holy hell._

He was stroking himself in his pants.

Unable to wait any longer, I pulled his pants and boxer briefs down all the way, causing him to gasp and grip himself tighter as his hand continued pumping his shaft.

I sat up slightly and lifted my t-shirt up over my head, my braless breasts bouncing slightly when I lay back down on the bed and continued watching Edward stroke himself. He suddenly stopped and reached behind him to grab the back of his t-shirt and lift it up over his head, throwing it to the side of the room.

I parted my legs wider for him as he balanced himself with his palms on either side of my head, positioning himself at my entrance.

"We have to be quiet," he whispered, looking straight into my eyes as he let just the tip slip inside of me.

I nodded fervently, ready to be filled by him completely. I held my breath and sat up on my elbows, watching as he slowly pushed himself inside of me inch by magnificent inch. I bit my lip to keep the moan that was threatening to escape from my mouth as I lay back down.

Edward's thrusts started out long and slow, but he eventually picked up the pace and began driving into me with more force.

"Harder, Edward. You said you'd show me who I belonged to," I challenged breathlessly, trying to get a rise out of him and enjoying it when his jaw clenched and his nostrils flared as he went even faster.

I grabbed onto his forearms and lifted my hips so I could wrap my legs tighter around his waist as he continued thrusting into me.

"Shit, Bella, you can't say that kind of stuff to me," he hissed, panting heavily as he spoke, his thrusts not faltering once.

"Why?" I breathed, moaning quietly when he hit a very sensitive spot deep inside of me. "Cuz you can't deliver?" I teased.

He chuckled distractedly as he continued driving himself into me. He shifted to rest on his forearms and trailed one hand down to where we were joined, rubbing furiously at my clit, watching my expression intensely as I neared my climax.

"You're playing with fire love," he whispered, just as he hit the spot again and pressed down on my clit. My orgasm rocked through my entire body, from my fingers down to my toes, and I had to bite Edward's shoulder to keep from screaming.

Seconds later, I felt Edward explode inside of me, moaning my name as his movements slowed down and eventually came to a stop.

"I may be playing with fire," I started, still gasping for air as he lay on top of me, making sure not to put his full weight on me. "But as long as it's with you…then I don't mind getting burned."

He chuckled into my neck before placing a gentle kiss there and then slipping out of me to lie on his back. I cuddled up beside him after we had both caught our breaths and he wrapped his arm tightly around me while I laid my head on his chest.

"That was…"

"Intense," I finished for him.

"Good word."

I laughed quietly into his neck as he kissed the top of my head.

"You bit me," he said after a moment's silence.

I bit my lip and looked up at him only to see him staring down at me, his expression a mixture of lust and surprise. "I'm sorry," I responded quietly, probably turning three shades of red.

He shook his head and rubbed his hand gently up and down my arm. "You can mark me all you want," he whispered. "I'm yours."

I finally released my lip from my teeth and leaned in to press my mouth firmly to his. He kissed me back gently, placing one hand on the side of my face before I finally pulled away and laid my head back on his chest.

"What are we going to do about Emmett and Rosalie?" he asked, tracing lazy patterns on my arm and back.

"I don't know," I sighed. "I thought we could…have some fun with them." I paused, not sure if he would be up for messing with them a little bit. "I mean, I'm pissed as hell, but since we're still pretending we're not together…maybe we can be creative like them. Come up with something."

"And what exactly did you have in mind?" he asked, humor evident in his voice.

"I don't know yet," I shrugged. "But if Emmett and Rosalie can come up with sneaky little schemes, then I think we can, too."

I felt him nod against my head before placing a soft kiss into my hair. "I like when you're feisty," he murmured seductively.

I giggled against his chest and wrapped my arm around his waist. We lay there silently after that and eventually I felt Edward's breathing even out, leaving me alone to ponder the events of the night.

I still could not believe how far Emmett and Rosalie had gone. Part of me wanted to laugh in their face and tell them that Edward and I were together and madly in love, but then they would be smug as hell, knowing full well they had something to do with it.

The other part of me wanted to get mad at them like always. Cuss them out and verbally bitch slap them. But then that was what had always happened and it got us absolutely nowhere. I decided that I didn't want to get angry or hurt or annoyed or frustrated anymore.

I wanted to get even.

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**Author's Note: ****Don't worry, two Edward POV's coming up :)**

*****PLEASE READ: I am taking a week off from posting just to de-stress a little bit before second semester of school starts, so next chapter will be posted Sunday 1/24. I also want to use the time to edit and perfect the next chapter and be able to write a couple more. After that, normal Sunday updates will continue. Thank you, everyone, for your never-ending support. You all mean so much to me.**


	17. Sour Retributions

_**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**_

**Author's Note: I could say thank you a million different ways, but I think the best way to thank you all for the amazing support is with a new chapter. Also, just so you guys know, my laptop is having issues and it's getting fixed right now. I'm going to try my best to keep up with regular updates until I get it back, so please be patient with me :)This chapter is very different from all the others and is also the longest chapter I have written for this story thus far. Also, the POV's switch a few times, so I hope it doesn't get annoying. Enjoy! :)**

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_**Rosalie POV**_

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Cullen. It says here your dry cleaning was picked up this morning."

I stared at the young woman who was currently standing at the other side of the counter, my mouth parted slightly as I tried remembering whether or not I had asked Emmett to pick up my dry cleaning for me.

Alice and I were going to dinner tonight with one of the top fashion designers in the city who was interested in selling some of her work in mine and Alice's store. I had bought the dress a couple of weeks ago just for this very occasion.

"Amber, right?" I smiled politely, looking at the name tag hanging on the lanyard around her neck. At her nod, I continued, "Listen, I need that dress tonight. It's important. Do you remember who picked up my dry cleaning?" I asked as calmly as I could.

_Don't shoot the messenger. Do not. Shoot. The. Messenger._

She shook her head and bit her bottom lip nervously. "No, I just started my shift forty-five minutes ago and your dry cleaning was picked up at nine a.m."

"Nine?" I repeated, confused. Emmett was at work by nine and nobody else was home. Nobody except for… "Motherfucker," I muttered, turning to look out the window of the dry cleaner's, almost thinking that Edward and Bella would be standing there with smirks on their faces as they waved my dress at me mockingly. I huffed and turned back around, Amber standing there looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Jodie's been here since opening," she suddenly remembered, her eyes brightening immensely as she walked behind a rack of clothing to where I'm sure the back room was. "Jodie?" I heard her call.

Amber walked out a few minutes later, an older woman trailing close behind her. "This is Rosalie Cullen," Amber explained. "Do you remember who picked up her dry cleaning this morning?"

"Oh, yes, Cullen," the woman—Jodie—replied. "There was a man and a woman," she started, and I immediately saw red.

"Did they say what their names were?" I gritted through my teeth, trying desperately to reign in my anger.

"No…but I do remember the man was…_very _attractive," Jodie laughed breathlessly.

"And he did a panty-dropping smirk and had you in the back fetching _my_ dry cleaning in ten minutes, am I correct?" I barked at her.

She immediately straightened her features and glared at me. "Excuse me?"

"You are most definitely _not _excused. How dare you give _my_ dry cleaning to somebody else?" I demanded.

"Well, for the record, they said they were sponsoring a local charity and that you were _donating_ the dress." She paused and glared at me from head to toe. "How wrong I was to think you were such a generous and warm-hearted person for wanting to donate a five-hundred dollar dress."

_Filthy litter liars._

I shook my head and chuckled darkly before meeting Jodie's gaze again. "Jesus. If I wasn't pissed beyond belief at somebody else, I would be across that counter right now," I threatened.

"I'd like to see you try," Jodie challenged, as Amber cowered into the corner.

I glared at her. "I wish I could. But I need to save my energy for someone else." I shook my head and headed toward the exit. I walked out onto the sidewalk and crossed my arms over my chest as I glanced up one side of the street and then the other.

"I'm going to kill them."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_**Emmett POV**_

"This was a nice lunch," Alice said as I pulled up in front of her and Rosalie's boutique. I glanced inside to see if Rosalie would be there.

"She isn't here," Alice answered my unspoken question. "She went on her lunch break early to run a few errands."

I nodded and smiled before kissing my sister's cheek. "Have a nice rest of the day, kid."

She glared at my old nickname for her, but I could tell a smile threatened to escape her lips as she climbed out of the car. "You, too, _muscle man_," she cooed. It was my turn to glare at the phrase she used to call me when I went through my 'I-need-to-be-the-size-of-Hulk-Hogan' phase my first year of college.

She laughed at my expression before shutting my door and jogging into the store. I shook my head and chuckled as I started on the drive back across town

to my office building. I was about thirty minutes away from the office when I saw red and blue lights flashing in my review mirror.

"Shit," I muttered, trying to think of what I had done illegally as I pulled beside a vacant spot on the curb.

I waited with bated breath as I looked in my side-view mirror and watched the police officer exit his car and strut up to my window. I pressed the button and rolled the window down all the way as he leaned on the side of my car, placing his hand on the hood. He looked vaguely familiar, but I wasn't exactly sure where I had seen him before.

"Good afternoon, sir," I greeted politely.

"License and registration, please," he requested in a clipped tone, completely ignoring any pleasantries.

I nodded and quickly reached into my back pocket and retrieved my wallet. When I opened it, however, I noticed that the slot I usually kept my i.d. card in was empty. I blanched and shifted through the other slots, but couldn't find it. I wasn't sure how I hadn't noticed it was missing when I had paid for lunch.

I swallowed hard and looked at the officer who was waiting patiently by the window. I reached for the glove compartment to at least pull out my registration information, but the envelope I usually kept my insurance and registration cards in was missing.

"Is there a problem, _sir_?" the police officer asked, almost condescendingly.

I sat up in my seat and looked at him, shaking my head. "I, uh, I can't seem to find my license. Or registration," I explained quietly, shifting my gaze to the steering wheel.

"What a surprise," he quipped. I looked at him, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion, before he added, "Please step out of the vehicle, sir."

"What seems to be the problem, officer?" I asked nervously.

"Step out of the vehicle," he said again.

I took my keys out of the ignition and stepped out. Before I even had time to register what was going on, my hands were pinned behind my back and hand cuffs were placed around my wrists. I didn't even know you could get arrested for this shit.

"Sir, you are under arrest. Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law," the officer declared as he led me to the police cruiser that was parked behind my car.

"Can you at least tell me what I did?" I pleaded anxiously as he shoved me into the backseat.

"Someone reported this car stolen. A Mr. Emmett Cullen," he explained as he slammed my door shut and walked back to my car, locking the doors and making sure it was secure before walking back to the police cruiser and getting into the front seat.

"I'm sorry, sir, did you say Emmett Cullen?" I asked through the screen that was separating us.

He pulled away from the curb and headed in the opposite direction, nodding. "Yep," he replied, popping the 'p' loudly. "Got a call in this morning."

"I didn't steal that car. That car is _mine_," I desperately tried to explain.

"Then where was your proof of registration? License?" he inquired, almost mockingly as he raised an eyebrow at me through the rearview mirror.

"Look, I don't know," I prattled on. "Listen, you've gotta believe me. That is my car. _I _am Emmett Cullen."

"Yea, he said you would say that," the officer murmured ominously.

"Who?" I asked, more confused than ever.

"The man who called this morning and reported the car stolen."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_**Rosalie POV**_

"Oh, hey, how was your break? Did you pick up your dress?" Alice asked me excitedly as I stormed back into the store and threw my purse down on the counter in front of her. Her smiled dropped when she saw my expression. "What happened?" she asked me worriedly.

I wondered what I should tell her. If I told her that Edward and Bella had stolen my dress, then she would want to know why. Of course, I couldn't be one hundred percent sure that they had done it in the first place.

Oh, who the fuck was I kidding? Of course they did it.

"The dry cleaners lost it," I decided to say instead.

Her mouth dropped open. "What?"

I nodded dejectedly.

"Rose, that was a one of a kind, Mary Lane _original_."

"I know," I replied in a clipped tone, placing my palms on the counter top and glaring at her.

"It was five hundred dollars."

"I know."

"You don't have anything to wear tonight."

"_I know_."

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"Jesus Christ, Alice, I don't know!" I finally snapped. Her eyes widened at my sudden blow up and I realized I had been having quite a few of those with her these days and it was all because of _them_. "Listen, I'm taking the rest of the day off," I spoke hastily as I collected my purse and a few papers. "I'll see you at the house."

"What are you going to do about a dress tonight?" she called after me.

I turned around and looked at her. "If I'm not in jail for attempted murder, then I'll figure something out."

Her mouth fell open and she gaped at my retreating form as I exited the boutique and headed toward my car. I hopped in and hurriedly pulled on my seat belt as I pulled away from the curb and headed towards the lake house.

"Mother-fucking…fuckers!" I yelled, slamming my palm against the steering wheel. In the distance I could hear my cell phone ringing in my purse and I blindly reached to the passenger seat and shifted around inside before I finally found it. "Hello?" I barked into the receiver.

"Rose? Baby?" Emmett's apprehensive voice came in on the other end.

"Emmett?" I implored, suddenly worried as I came to a stop at a red light.

"Rose, listen to me. I'm…I'm in jail," he mumbled.

"What?" I shrieked.

"Yea, I need you to come here. Now."

"Wait, why are you in jail?" I asked, confused.

"Someone called in this morning and reported my car stolen. And my license and registration wasn't in my car so I couldn't prove that they were wrong," he explained.

They _wouldn't_.

"Who called, Emmett?" I asked, trying to keep my voice low and even.

"Someone claiming they were _me_!" he answered exasperatedly.

"Son of a bitch," I muttered, shaking my head and knowing exactly who was behind this. "I'm going to kill them," I said louder as the street light turned green and I continued on my way to the lake house.

"Kill who?" Emmett asked, his voice sounding confused.

"Sit tight, baby. I'll be there in a bit." I didn't even give him a chance to reply as I hung up and threw my phone on the seat beside me.

I noticed the cars ahead of me were all pretty much stopped and as I looked further ahead, I noticed there was heavy construction on the side of the road, so every lane but one was closed.

"Fu-u-u-u-ck," I groaned, throwing my head on the headrest as my phone started ringing again. I didn't even bother checking the caller i.d when I answered. "What?" I yelled, pissed as hell that there was so much fucking construction and traffic.

"Hey, Rose."

My breathing caught and I only realized I swerved slightly when there was a loud honk from the lane beside me.

"Bella! What the fuck is going on?" I demanded, finally unleashing all of my pent up rage.

"Rose, you need to calm down. You don't want to get into an accident. That guy looked pretty pissed," she replied evenly.

I was stopped behind the car in front of me since no one was moving anymore and I took the time to survey my surroundings. Bella was watching me. That was both frustrating as hell—since now I knew she and Edward were not at the lake house—and convenient as fuck—if they were close, then that would make my job a hell of a lot easier.

"Go, Rose," she said softly.

My eyes snapped forward and I saw a giant gap between me and the car in front of me since traffic had started moving again. I eased my foot off the break and continued with the slow pace.

"What is going on, Bella? Why is Emmett in jail? And why the hell did you and Edward take my dress?" I snapped angrily.

"Collateral damage," she answered easily. "We took two of the most important things away from you. Emmett…and your five hundred dollar, Mary Lane original."

"God damnit! Can everyone please stop reminding me of the price? It only pisses me off more!" I fumed.

"You are to listen to the following instructions," she responded, seemingly ignoring my tantrum.

"Fuck you!" I seethed. "Give me my dress and get Emmett the hell out of jail!"

I heard her exhale a heavy breath and then shuffling in the background before _his_ voice came on the other side.

"Rose," Edward started, just as calmly as Bella. "Don't you want to see your husband and your precious dress again?"

"What I want to see is you, so that I can kick your fucking ass!" I bit back.

He chuckled into the receiver and that only served to piss me off more. "Just do what we say. There is a coffee shop on the corner of the next light. Pull in," he instructed quietly.

"And why the fuck should I?" I demanded.

"Call my cell phone when you get there."

"Edward—"

Fucker hung up on me.

I pulled into the parking lot of the coffee shop he mentioned and angrily parked my car before picking up my cell phone and dialing his number.

"Good girl," he chuckled into the phone. I bit back my retort and waited impatiently as he continued, "Alright, now go inside. Order a medium caramel latte and a small mocha frappucino."

"Are you serious?" I asked incredulously. "You want me to order you coffee?"

"Rose, every minute you waste is another minute that Emmett is rotting in a jail cell. Not to mention your dress. Every time you question us, it's another inch off the bottom."

"Don't you dare touch that dress!" I shrieked as I jumped out of my car and headed toward the coffee shop.

Edward chuckled again. "Classic, Rose. Your husband is in jail and you're more worried about your dress."

"Shut the fuck up," I snapped, disconnecting the call and walking into the coffee shop. I ordered their drinks and then walked back to my car, putting the cup holder with the two drinks in the passenger seat just as my phone started ringing again. "Okay, I got your precious coffee. Now what?" I asked, not bothering to mask the irritation in my voice.

"Okay, now go to the park across the street," he responded, not a trail of joking in his tone.

"Okay, Edward, you guys had your fun. I get it. This is payback. Now grow the fuck up and give me my dress and get Emmett out of jail."

"Alright," he breathed into the phone, and I smirked at how easy it was to win. I was the master of these games and there was no way these two amateurs could beat me. "Bella," I heard him say, his voice sounding distant. "Get the scissors."

"No!" I yelped before I could stop myself. "Okay, okay, I'm going. Just please don't touch my dress," I pleaded pathetically.

"We don't want to, Rose. But you're resisting again. You know the rules," Edward replied calmly.

I sighed and put the phone in my lap as I drove across the street to the large park. After parking the car, I grabbed my phone and the drinks and got out, walking over to the nearest picnic table.

"Okay, what now?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"Now drink them."

My mouth fell open as I stood frozen in front of the table, the Styrofoam cup holder in one hand, the cell phone pressed to my ear in the other. "What?"

"Drink them, Rose. Every last drop. You might want to sit. This could take a while."

"Edward, what is this?" I chuckled darkly. "You're really going to play these games with me? I don't fucking have time for this."

"You know what, Rose?" Bella's voice suddenly snapped on the other end as the phone was handed back to her. "I didn't have time for your and Emmett's fucking games for the last couple of weeks, either. So guess what? Payback is a bitch."

"That was different!" I retorted. "I was trying to help you!"

"What a way to go about doing that, huh?" she laughed without humor. "Drink them, Rose. And then call us when you're done so we can explain your next task."

"You know what, Bella? I am going to shove my foot up your—"

Bitch hung up on me.

I sat there for forty-five minutes, first slurping down the frappucino and getting brain freeze after brain freeze. I could have just thrown the drinks out and said I drank them, but the two idiots were somehow watching me and I knew they would see.

After I stomached the first drink, I moved onto the caramel latte. It took less time to drink that one since it was purely liquefied and warm. I sat there upon finishing, rubbing my now full stomach as I grabbed my phone and dialed Edward's number.

"Good job, Rosalie," Bella chirped on the other end. "You're being a real team player. Putting up with our shit like this. Kind of like Edward and I had to for the last couple of weeks."

"Okay, Bella, listen here—"

"You're wasting time," she sang mockingly.

I contained the eye roll and huff that was threatening to escape as I snapped my mouth shut and waited.

"Now, there is a Build-A-Bear shop down the street, next to Annie's Flower Shop, right?" she asked.

I glared at nothing in particular as I walked to the sidewalk and looked down the street. Sure enough, next to the small flower shop, there was an enormous Build-A-Bear workshop, little children filing in and out with smiles on their faces.

"Yes," I replied in a clipped tone.

"Alright." I could practically hear the smile in her voice. "Go make me one."

It was my turn to laugh without humor. "Are you kidding me?" I demanded disbelievingly.

"No," she responded in a somewhat bored tone. "I've always wanted one, but I'm too embarrassed to go in and make one myself."

"So you're subjecting _me_ to the humiliation?" I didn't even try to hide the venom in my voice anymore.

"Subjecting to humiliation," she repeated. "Hmm, sound familiar?"

"You're taking this too far," I insisted.

"Taking things too far," she echoed. "Again, sound familiar?"

"Swan—"

"The scissors are in my hand, Rose," she threatened smoothly.

I huffed and hung up the phone before storming down the sidewalk, not bothering to take my car. I crossed the street and threw the door to the damn shop open and froze in place as I looked around at all the smiling children and beaming parents, watching their kids stuff and dress and make birth certificates for their little friends. I had only ever been in one of these things once before, and that was in passing, just to see what it was. I had no fucking clue what I was supposed to do.

"Good afternoon, miss," a pimple-faced teenager greeted me enthusiastically. "My name is Marcus. Are you here to build a best friend for life?"

"Do I _look _like I'm here to build a best friend for life?" I bit back derisively.

Marcus swallowed hard and shook his head. "No, ma'am," he replied, his voice shaking slightly.

"Just show me how to do this so I can leave," I sighed.

He nodded vigorously before asking me which animal I wanted.

"Surprise me," I responded sarcastically.

I did as he instructed and filled the little creature with as much cotton as I could before I moved on to the other stations. I carelessly dressed him up in whatever I could find as Marcus stayed close behind me.

I finally got to the last station—making the birth certificates—and I had to come up with a name.

"Alright, so just choose a name and then print out the birth certificate. Simple as that," Marcus said as he leaned next to me, placing his hand on the table. I glared at his proximity and he immediately jumped back as I looked back at the screen, tapping my fingers impatiently on the table beside me. I planned on just typing in 'Joe' or

'Timothy'—something completely random—when I decided I wanted to at least gain _some_ semblance of my dignity back.

I smiled wickedly at the screen as I typed in the perfect name for Bella's little friend.

"Um, miss?" Marcus started, his voice cracking as he read my choice. "That's not very appropriate."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_**Emmett POV**_

"For the thousandth time," I started, frustrated as hell. "_I_ am Emmett Cullen."

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to please be quiet," the officer who had arrested me responded. There was an air of cocky-ness about him, almost as if he got some sort of strange amusement and benefit from me being here—like he was in on some private joke or something.

"Dude, _come on_," I tried desperately. "I have to be at work, okay? I have a job. My wife is probably worried sick right now."

Okay, that part wasn't really true. When I had talked to Rosalie on the phone, she had confused the hell out of me. I wasn't sure what she meant when she said, 'I'm going to kill them.'

Then she told me to sit tight. _Sit tight?_ How the fuck was I supposed to sit tight when I was sitting in a jail cell, being accused of stealing my own car?

"Sir, if you're wife was worried, wouldn't she be here right now?" the officer smirked back.

I stared at him confused, wondering if all police officer's were always so arrogant when they caught a supposed felon. I also wondered if he recognized me like I did him, and if that was the reason for his high and mighty behavior.

As I tilted my head to the side to try and figure out where the hell I had seen him before, I asked, "What did you say your name was again?"

"I didn't."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_**Rosalie POV**_

I walked out of the workshop, the Build-A-Bear box in one hand and my cell phone in the other. If they were watching me, then they would call any minute now. Sure enough, two minutes later, my phone rang. I was walking down the sidewalk, back toward my car, when I answered.

"Hello?" I barked.

"Is she adorable?" Bella asked mockingly.

"It's a he, and yes, he's pretty fucking fantastic!" I retorted.

"Great! Thanks, Rose! I'll see you when you get home!"

"Wait, what? That's _it_? That's really all you guys got?" I asked incredulously. "Oooh, you made me drink two cups of coffee and had me go into a teddy bear store!" I mocked, waving my hands around animatedly. "You got me good. You got me _so_ good," I finished sarcastically.

"We would have planned more, Rosalie," Edward chimed in. I was apparently now on speakerphone. "But we figured you would need time to go to the impound lot," he said nonchalantly.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion as I halted my steps. "Why would I need to go to the impound lot?"

"Because your car is being towed," Bella replied casually.

I looked up and my mouth fell open as I saw I was parked beside the sidewalk next to the red fire lane. My eyes shifted to the empty spot in the parking lot where I had previously been parked.

"You moved my car?!" I shrieked into the receiver.

"Yea," Edward replied evenly.

"How the hell did you move it?! Where did you even find my spare key?!" I demanded, quickly making my way to where my car was now being lifted onto the tow truck.

"Gee, I don't know. In the cookie jar where mom and dad keep _all _the spare keys?" he responded sarcastically.

"Okay, that is it!" I screeched, fuming. "That is fucking it! I never did shit like this to you guys! I never got you guys thrown in jail or had your cars towed or made you humiliate yourselves like this!"

"No, Rose, you didn't," Bella responded, her tone eerily calm. "What you and Emmett did was so much worse. Because you guys fucked with our emotions. You messed with our lives. You put us through so much crap, so much…" I could hear her choking up and knew she was on the verge of tears. I slowed my steps and watched, defeated, as my car continued being slowly hauled onto the back of the truck.

"But Edward and I would never do that to you guys," she continued, having gained some control over her emotions. "We'd never play with your feelings like that. This may have been stupid and immature and childish…but it's the only thing we can bring ourselves to do to you guys. And you want to know why?" she asked. I waited, knowing it was a rhetorical question. She took a deep breath and continued, "Because we'd never want to hurt you the way you hurt _us_."

It was silent on the other end and just when I was about to say something, the line was disconnected. I sighed and put my phone in my pocket as I approached the truck driver and explained that I was the owner of the vehicle. He allowed me to ride with him to the impound lot so that I could claim my car and pay the fine.

The quiet ride gave me some time to think about Bella's words. It was true; Emmett and I had fucked with their emotions time and time again—played with their psyches—without even thinking about the effects it would have on them.

What Bella and Edward did to Emmett and I was inconvenient, childish, and taken too far—just like what Emmett and I had done to them. However, Edward and Bella did trivial things—things that could be fixed by just paying a fine or drinking a mocha frappucino so fast it gives you the worst fucking brain freeze. What Emmett and I did was lasting damage—something you couldn't just 'get over.'

I had only ever regretted a few small things in my life.

What Emmett and I had done was now one of them.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_**Edward POV**_

I kept glancing at Bella as we drove to the police station. I thought about how much fun we had had today fucking with Emmett and Rosalie, acting like a couple of teenagers pulling immature and hilarious pranks.

We had tried coming up with ways to mess with Rosalie and Emmett by taking advantage of the fact that they thought Bella and I were still separated. We contemplated telling them we were going through with the divorce, that we had already _gone_ through with the divorce, or that we had found other people to be with. But all of those things hurt us…and we knew it would hurt them, too.

Like Bella had said to Rosalie on the phone…we didn't want to hurt them. We just wanted to get back at them. And yes, it was immature and childish, but it was also completely justified.

All of the inconvenient tasks we had Rosalie carry out were merely diversions while we set about moving her car and then calling the tow truck company. Her punishment was a little complicated, but Emmett's was fairly easy. It wasn't that hard to report a call stolen when you had all of the proper paperwork one would need to clam ownership of the vehicle.

Although getting back at Emmett and Rosalie was both fulfilling and completely amusing, the best part of the day was spending time with Bella.

We had a lot of free time sitting in the car as we made sure all of our plans fell into play. In that free time, we talked. And for the first time, we didn't just talk about the fallout of our relationship and everything we had done wrong—those things had been talked to death. Instead, we discussed our future together; what we would do upon returning to New York, where we were going to live, and what our plans were for after Alice and Jasper's wedding.

And then we talked about trivial things, joking with each other, and occasionally stealing kisses when we waited for Rosalie to call back. It was the most comfortable and most amazing day of my entire life.

But after that last conversation with Rosalie, I knew Bella was starting to feel pain again. What Emmett and Rosalie had done these last couple of weeks had gotten to both of us, but I could tell it really affected Bella now, even though she tried convincing me a million times that she was fine.

I knew better.

"Bella," I began, reaching over and taking her hand in mine as we stopped behind a red light. "Are you okay, baby?"

She looked at me and nodded, though her eyes were filled with unshed tears. "I'm fine," she replied, smiling weakly at me.

I offered a half hearted one in return as I lifted her hand to my lips and pressed a gently kiss to the back of her hand. "I love you," I murmured.

Her smiled widened slightly. "I love you more."

I chuckled against her hand before resting it in my lap, our fingers remaining intertwined the rest of the way to the police station.

I opened the car door for her and kissed her lips once before walking behind her into the front office.

"Motherfucker! I am Emmett Cullen! What the fuck do I have to do to prove it?! Take fingerprints, Google me, anything! Just please let me out!" Emmett's loud, angry voice rang out from the back where the four jail cells were.

Bella and I exchanged glances and both burst out into laughter as a young police officer rounded the back corner and approached us.

"Evening, officer," I said as seriously as I could.

"Is that Edward?" Emmett's voice bellowed from the back. "Oh thank God! My brother is here! My baby brother has come to save me!"

I chuckled and shook my head before looking back at the officer. "Thanks, Eric. You don't know how much this means to us, man," I said, making sure to keep my voice low.

"Don't sweat it, Cullen," Eric replied, giving me one of those manly high five, back pats. "I'll forever be indebted to you for helping me pass calculus senior year."

I shook my head and waved my hand dismissively. "Consider us even, man. Tutoring you was easy."

"But you're still the reason I graduated," he reminded me.

Eric and I had been pretty close in high school. He was among the tight knit group of friends that I hung out with, and once Bella and I started dating, she became close to a lot of my friends as well. We stayed in touch after graduation, via e-mails and such, and I knew he was working in the city of Seattle as a cop. He had always said he owed me for helping him pass calculus—he wouldn't have been able to graduate otherwise—and told me to call him if I ever needed a favor. That came in pretty handy this morning when Bella and I had been trying to devise a creative and entertaining way to get back at Emmett and Rosalie.

"Emmett didn't recognize you?" I asked disbelievingly. Eric had been over to our house quite a few times through out high school and had met Emmett on several occasions. Eric had changed a lot in the last few years, though, and definitely looked a little different.

"I think he started to, but I don't think it's actually clicked for him," he chuckled. "He's starting to get antsy, so you wanna go in there and tell him?"

I nodded and laughed. "Yea, dude. Thanks again. You sure you won't get into any trouble?

"Are you kidding, Cullen? I'm still stealthy like a cat. I never got caught for my pranks in high school and I will never get caught for them now," he responded, acting cocky though I knew him well enough to know he was just teasing.

I laughed again and nodded, patting him on the back before following him to the back where there were three empty jail cells, and one with a fuming Emmett inside. Bella and I waited to the side as Eric unlocked the cell and opened the door.

"Alright, you're free to go," Eric said, still keeping up with the façade.

"Fuck yes! Did my brother tell you who I was? He did, didn't he?" Emmett replied, walking out and staring Eric down. "I told you I was Emmett Cullen."

Eric chuckled and closed the jail cell again before looking at him. "I know who you are, Emmett," he admitted, finally dropping the act.

Emmett stared at him in confusion and I had to fight to keep my laughter at bay. "What the fuck?" he raged, turning to look at Bella and me.

"You remember Eric Yorkie. Right, Em?" I asked dismissively.

Emmett's head swung back around and he stared disbelievingly at a smirking Eric. "I knew I fucking recognized you!" He pointed a finger at him. "You went to Forks High School!"

Eric nodded. "Yup. Graduated with Bella and Edward here. Good times, huh, man?" he asked me mockingly.

"Definitely good times," I agreed, smiling widely.

"Wait, _you're_ the guy who called in and reported my car being stolen?" Emmett demanded, turning to look at me.

I nodded.

"And you stole my registration _and _driver's license?"

"_Borrowed_," I corrected. This only seemed to anger him further.

"What the fuck for?" he seethed.

I shrugged indifferently. "Payback."

"Payback," he repeated dully. "Payback for what?"

I raised my eyebrows at him as Bella shook her head angrily beside me.

"Payback for _what_?" she hissed furiously. "You've _got _to be kidding me."

"Eric, it was good seeing you again," I intervened before Bella could rip Emmett's balls off and feed them to him.

"You, too, man. I'll talk to you later," he responded, happy as always as he shook my hand. He never asked questions or demanded to know why we were doing this. He had always been a loyal friend to Bella and I and we knew we could trust him. "Nice seeing you again, Bella," he said, turning to her and opening his arms for a hug.

Bella looked at him and smiled, all traces of anger gone as she hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Eric," she said quietly.

After retrieving the keys to Emmett's car and exchanging some last parting words—Emmett taking a moment to finally enjoy the little reunion with Eric, even though it was under bad circumstances—we headed out to Esme's car; she had let us borrow it for the day.

Emmett demanded that he sit shotgun because we had 'blown his day to hell,' so I drove back to where Emmett's car was still parked on the side of the road while he blabbed on about what assholes we were.

"Shut _up_, Emmett!" Bella finally snapped after twenty minutes of Emmett going on and on about how we had successfully ruined his day. He still didn't even know what we had put Rosalie through.

Emmett froze and looked over at Bella, shocked at her explosion. I, too, was a little surprised. Bella never raised her voice like that unless she was really, really angry. I knew from firsthand experience.

The rest of the car ride to Emmett's car was spent in uncomfortable silence. When we finally reached his car, he hopped out and slammed the door behind him. I watched as he hung his head low and walked to his car before starting it up and pulling away from the curb, heading in the direction of the lake house.

Bella didn't say anything and made no move to come to the passenger seat, so a few minutes after Emmett departed, I put the car in drive and continued on to the lake house in silence.

Once we arrived, I parked the car in the large driveway since the garage was probably full, and hopped out. When I noticed Bella didn't get out as well, I walked to the back door and opened it.

"Bella," I said quietly. She looked up at me. "Are you coming?" I asked her softly.

She sighed. "I'm just going to sit out here for a while," she responded quietly. "I'll come inside in a little bit."

My eyebrows were furrowed in confusion, but I simply nodded and closed the door before walking up the porch and through the front door. I glanced around and noticed that no one was home yet except for Emmett and possibly Rosalie. With a heavy sigh, I walked into the living room and dropped myself onto the couch, running my hands over my face as I heard footsteps enter the room.

"Hey, man."

I looked up when I heard Emmett's gruff voice and I simply nodded in response as he sat in the couch across from me.

"Where's Bella?" he asked.

"In the car," I stated simply.

"Why?"

I shrugged and finally made eye contact with him. "You know, what you and Rosalie did these last couple of weeks…it was really fucked up. I'm not passed it, but I can let things go over time. You're my brother and Rosalie is basically my sister." I paused and he waited patiently as I collected my thoughts. "But Bella…you know, she puts so much trust in the people that she cares about. Her trust is earned, it's not given easily, and you guys had it. She trusted you to be good friends to her, good family. But instead you just fucked with her. With _us_."

He nodded, which shocked the hell out of me. "I know. I know." He let out a loud exhale as he slumped back into the couch. "When she snapped at me in the car…for the first time, I realized how much our getting involved fucked things up. She's never…yelled at me like that before."

"I know," I agreed quietly.

There was a long, drawn out silence before Emmett spoke again. "But you guys got me good," he suddenly chuckled.

My head snapped up and I looked at him incredulously. "What?"

He was nodding and smiling. "Getting me arrested? Shit, that was…fucking brilliant."

I chuckled and shook my head. "You were in jail for half of the day and you thought it was brilliant?"

He nodded again, fervently. "Fuck yea, man! I would have never been able to come up with something like that."

"Bella actually thought of it. I just called Eric," I admitted, proud of Bella's diabolical moment.

He laughed a little more boisterously before composing himself and eyeing me seriously. "I'm really sorry, man. About everything. I know it's going to take a hell of a lot more than that, but…it's all I've got right now." He shrugged, defeated.

"I know, Em. I know," I sighed. "It's going to take some time for me to forgive what you guys did, but…I do accept your apology."

"Thanks, Edward." He paused and I waited for him to continue, knowing he had more to say and was trying to figure out how to say it. "So you and Bella. You're really through, huh?"

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd holding, but just as I opened my mouth to tell him the truth, the front door opened and slammed and Rosalie came strutting in, looking solemn and defeated—much like Emmett.

"What happened to you today, baby?" Emmett asked, concerned, as he stood up.

She sighed and held up the Build-A-Bear box. "Where's Bella?" she asked me.

"She wants to be alone right now," I answered immediately.

"Edward, please. I want to talk to her," she said, her eyes pleading.

I knew that Bella just wanted to be left alone and the last thing she needed was to talk to Rosalie or Emmett, so I just shook my head.

Rosalie opened her mouth to argue, but then closed it and simply nodded. "Okay," she conceded. "I'm sincerely sorry for everything Emmett and I have done these last couple of weeks, though, Edward. And I know it's going to take a lot of time for you and Bella to forgive us, but I just wanted you to know we never meant to hurt either of you." She let out a shaky breath and looked at the ground before meeting Emmett's gaze with tear-filled eyes. "And, baby, I'm sorry for roping you into doing most of that shit. You kept telling me to let things go, but I wouldn't listen."

I had never seen Rosalie cry before, and it was starting to scare me. Emmett walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"Hey," he said softly. "I'm just as guilty. And don't forget, I came up with about half of our schemes. You just initiated the planning."

Rosalie chuckled against him and nodded before pulling away and wiping the tears from her eyes. They kept their arms around each other as they both looked at me, and in that moment all I wanted to do was go and hold my Bella.

"We really are sorry, Edward," Rosalie said again.

Emmett nodded his agreement, his hold on Rosalie tightening. "We were assholes," he agreed.

"And we deserved everything we got today," Rosalie added.

Emmett's eyebrows knit together in confusion as he looked down at her. "_We_?" he asked her.

Rosalie laughed quietly through her tears and let out a deep breath before saying, "Let's go upstairs. I'll tell you all about it while I get ready for mine and Alice's dinner tonight." Her gaze turned to me and she bit her lip nervously.

"Your dress is in the car. I'll get it in a minute," I said, answering her silent question.

She smiled at me weakly and nodded. "Thanks, Edward," she replied quietly before looking at Emmett. "Come on. I'll explain all about _my_ day and then you can tell me about jail."

Emmett smiled and kissed Rosalie firmly on the lips before taking her hand and leading her toward the stairs.

"And Edward?"

I looked at Rosalie as she and Emmett stood at the foot of the stairs.

"When Bella's ready, tell her we really want to talk to her," Rosalie said softly. I simply nodded and watched as they headed up the stairs and closed their bedroom door behind them.

I ran my hand through my hair and leaned my head back on the couch, closing my eyes. A few minutes passed before I heard the front door open and close. I didn't open my eyes, but I heard the light footsteps make their way over to where I was sitting. I felt her weight in my lap and I reflexively wrapped my arms around her waist and moaned softly when she ran her hands through my hair.

I finally opened my eyes and smiled up at Bella. Her eyes were red and puffy and I knew she had been crying. She hardly ever showed how much of an effect Rosalie and Emmett's meddling had had on her, but I could see now that it really had gotten to her.

"What is it, love?" I asked her worriedly.

She sniffed back tears and exhaled a heavy breath. "I just realized today that they really don't think what they did was wrong," she answered.

"I think they do _now_," I replied softly.

She looked at me confused. "Why do you say that?"

"They apologized," I stated simply. She scoffed as I continued, "They were sincere, Bella. I'm mad as hell at them for what they did, but it's been done. Nothing left to do now but move forward."

"I'm just not ready to face them yet."

"And that's _fine_," I urged her gently. "You don't owe them anything. Take as much time as you need." I paused again and considered my next words. "But they did apologize for everything and I accepted…only on my behalf," I added quickly when she glared at me. "They're not fully forgiven yet and it's going to take some time, but I'm at least going to give them a chance to show us they can be trusted."

She sighed reluctantly and nodded. "I know. I know they can be, I just never thought they would stoop so low."

"But they did, and they know that," I responded. A smile slowly made its way onto my face as I thought back on our day. I was met with her confused eyes. "But we got them back pretty damn good, huh?" I teased, smirking.

She laughed and I instantly felt the tension leave her body. "God, it felt _so _good," she breathed, throwing her head back and smiling before leaning on my shoulder and kissing my neck. "The best part was getting to spend an entire day alone with you, though," she murmured.

"I feel the same way," I smiled. "But I have to admit, you're pretty hot when you're being devious."

She laughed again and lifted her head up to look at me. "And you're pretty sexy when you're scheming."

"Couldn't have done it without you, love," I replied honestly.

Her smile faded slightly and she observed me intensely for a few moments. "Same here…_love_," she whispered huskily.

My gaze traveled down to her lips and just when I was going to lean in and kiss her, she closed the remaining distance between us, locking her mouth confidently with mine.

"I love you, Edward," she breathed against my lips.

"Mmm," I moaned. "I love you more."

"Impossible," she mumbled, her lips still latched onto mine.

"Bella, you talk too much," I said against her mouth, chuckling softly.

She pulled away and glared at me. I tried kissing her again, but she pulled back and stared me down.

"I didn't mean it," I said softly, smiling my crooked smile at her—I knew it drove her crazy.

"Would you prefer it if I just stopped talking from now on?" she quipped.

I shook my head and brought my mouth within an inch of hers—this time she didn't pull away from me.

"Never," I whispered against her lips, before kissing her chastely. "I want to hear your voice for the rest of my life."

"Good," she smiled, her eyes still closed as neither of us made a move to pull away from each other. "Because I'm never going to stop talking."

I chuckled and gently helped her off my lap as I stood up, taking her hand in mine and leading her up the stairs. "Come on, love. We need to rest. We've had a long day," I teased softly, smirking.

"Seriously, I need to take a hot bath or something. My body's sore from all that sitting in the car we did," she replied once we entered our bedroom.

"Hmm," I hummed quietly. "Let me help you with that."

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**Author's Note: When I first started this story, it was meant to be funny an angsty at the same time, but of course angst always has a way of becoming the more dominate theme, and that is okay. But this is some humor that I have wanted to squeeze into the storyline and never quite knew how to fit it in. I had fun writing this chapter and I think it was an amusing way for Edward and Bella to get some payback, but I am also nervous about hearing what you guys thought since it was different from all the angst and drama in previous chapters—so lay it on me :) **


	18. Keep On

_**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**_

**Author's Note: Alright, so my computer is back. Everything was wiped out because they needed to fix it, so I had to basically re-create my computer and it is definitely a process. Technology really kicks you in the ass sometimes and I think we can all vouch for that. Hopefully now we can get back to our weekly Sunday updates.**

**Also, many people have been asking me how many more chapters are left of the story, and sadly we are nearing the end. I would say that there are approximately 8 or so chapters left to go. I previously projected 28 chapters total, but I think it may be cut short a couple chapters. I'm going to be sad when it ends so let's not think about it, okay? :) Enjoy this chapter! You guys are amazing and I tried my best to respond to all reviews for last chapter. Belated, I know, but better late than never!**

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_**Edward POV**_

Nothing compared to the warmth of having Bella in my arms. She belonged there. It felt right, and I found myself instinctively holding her tighter.

"Mmm," I moaned quietly, resting my head on the top of her head as she slept soundly beside me. I didn't want to let her go, so I spent the majority of the night with my arm wrapped around her, holding her close to me.

I had woken up when the sun first rose in the early morning, and once I glanced down at the beautiful woman sleeping in my arms, sleep felt like the most unimportant thing at the moment. I wasn't going to take these innocent touches and caresses for granted because now I knew what it was like to be without Bella and I never wanted to feel that way again. She was everything to me and I would spend the rest of my life showing her how much I loved her.

I kissed the top of her head and she stirred slightly in my arms before lifting her head up and looking at me through sleep-filled eyes.

"Did I wake you?" I whispered, stroking her arm gently.

She smiled slightly and shook her head. "I've been awake for the last fifteen minutes. I just like the way your arms feel around me," she replied softly.

I leaned in and pressed a gently, lingering kiss to her forehead before pulling back and smiling down at her. "You're so beautiful," I murmured, reaching up with my other hand to tuck a strand piece of hair behind her ear.

She rolled her eyes at my sentiment and rested her head on my chest

"You are," I insisted.

"Stop it," Bella scolded playfully.

"I can't."

She looked at me and blushed and giggled before burying her head in the crook of my neck as I wrapped my arms around her shoulders.

Bella and I had spent the last few days talking, rediscovering our relationship, and figuring out what we had done wrong. It was helping us grow stronger—I could feel it. And I knew we still had a lot to work through, but we were doing it one step at a time like we had planned, getting to know each other all over again, starting something amazingly fresh and beautiful.

Keeping things from Emmett and Rosalie wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I felt a little guilty for keeping them out of the loop, but I thought that we deserved the time to ourselves. After yesterday's events, however—having tortured them for an entire day—it was safe to say that the time was approaching to finally come clean with them.

"You're beautiful," Bella suddenly murmured beside me. I looked down at her and smiled crookedly before kissing her on her plump, beautiful lips.

I shook my head and whispered, "I have nothing on you, love." I stretched a bit and Bella giggled beside me. "I'm gonna take a shower," I announced after a few minutes. I sat up and kissed the side of her face before climbing out of bed and heading to the bathroom.

I emerged about twenty minutes later and saw that Bella was no longer in the room. After getting dressed, I headed downstairs into the kitchen where I found Bella, Jasper, and Alice sitting at the table eating breakfast.

"Hey, Edward," Alice smiled, taking a bite of her oatmeal. "There's eggs and bacon on the stove. Jasper made some really good oatmeal, too."

"Thanks, Ali," I said, smiling slightly as I kissed the top of her head and then walked to the stove. I hadn't spent much time with Alice or Jasper upon arriving and that was due mainly to the fact that Bella and I had been separated for the better part of our trip. It was just so hard to be around them, pretending to be a happy couple when we were going through so much turmoil inside.

"Edward?"

I broke away from my thoughts, having realized I had completely spaced out in front of the stove, and looked over at a confused and worried Jasper.

"You alright, dude?" he chuckled, though I could sense the concern in his voice. He placed some bacon on his plate as he regarded me closely.

I nodded. "Yea," I responded curtly, putting some eggs on my plate slowly, hoping he wouldn't question me further.

"Come on, dude, we've known each other basically our whole lives. I know you almost better than I know myself."

"Are you declaring your love for me, Jasper, or just asking me what's wrong?" I quipped sarcastically.

He laughed whole-heartedly, causing Bella and Alice to pause mid-conversation and give us both an odd look.

"Touché," he replied once his laughter had subsided. "But seriously, man. I'm good at reading people. Especially people I know well. Like you. So spill."

"Jazz, I don't get what the problem is."

He let out a heavy sigh before stepping closer and lowering his voice so only I could hear. "Listen, Alice was telling me last night how you and Bella have hardly spent any time with us the entire time you've been here. Now I? I don't mind. I can get over it. But Alice? That sort of thing kills her. She loves you guys." He paused and glanced over at Alice and Bella to make sure they were still fully engulfed in conversation before turning back to me. "And it got me thinking that she was right. You guys have been weirdly distant from us this whole time. I mean, you've spent some time with us for wedding stuff, but other than that you just seem to be…by yourselves. Are you guys just…you know…really active…." he trailed off, leaving his words lingering in the air as I tried to decipher his meaning.

Realization dawned on me instantly. "Oh, Jesus Christ, Jasper! When did you become such a sick perv?"

"I'm not a sick perv, but it makes sense. You guys always seem to be…together…and most of the time alone. I just figured maybe your libidos are working overtime," he defended.

I glowered at him. "Okay, firstly? Our libidos are none of your concern."

He gave me a wry smile. "Well it wouldn't be such a bad thing, Edward. I mean, I bet it'd be pretty fucking fantastic. I know when Alice gets like that, it's just—"

"Alright, dude, seriously?" I interrupted hastily. "I really don't want to hear about you boning my sister."

He shrugged and chuckled again. "Whatever, I digress. So you're sure nothing's up? Alice has been worried since you guys have been so introverted lately."

"Introverted?" I teased lightly.

Jasper rolled his eyes. "I'm a psychology professor, I can't help but use psychological terms from time to time."

"Hey, I didn't say anything," I shrugged, smiling easily. I had missed this banter with Jasper. Bella and I really hadn't spent a lot of time with them and I knew now that we needed to make up for the lost time. "But seriously, nothing's up."

He regarded me for a minute before accepting my response and nodding. "Fine, but spend more time with your sister. When you don't, she's in a bad mood. And when she's in a bad mood, guess who she takes it out on?" he asked rhetorically, giving me a pointed look.

I nodded understandingly before the two of us walked back to the table and sat down.

"What were you guys talking about over there?" Alice asked curiously.

I glanced at Jasper, but his eyes remained focused on Alice's as he smiled at her. "Just guy talk, beautiful," he replied smoothly.

Alice swooned—like always—before composing her features and looking at me. "Edward, I was just telling Bella about tonight. We wanted to go to a club and go dancing. Sounds like fun, right?" she implored, her big eyes getting all hopeful.

I looked at Jasper and saw him glaring at me with a 'say yes or your balls will be in the blender' look. I cleared my throat to cover the strangled cough threatening to escape, before turning to Alice and smiling.

"That sounds great, Alice," I replied sincerely.

Instead of jumping up and down and squealing in true Alice fashion, her eyes grew softer and her smile got a little smaller. It wasn't a sad look, just an appreciative one. If I didn't know any better, I would say she was on the verge of crying.

Was I really that much of a douche that my little sister was almost in tears at the fact that I had agreed to go clubbing with her?

Clearly, I was.

"Thanks, Edward," she replied softly. "Okay!" she chirped, clapping her hands and hopping out of her chair, the real Alice returning in full force. "I'm gonna go upstairs and get ready and then Bella and I are going shopping."

Bella tried to smile at Alice, but it just came out as a grimace. Jasper and I both chuckled as Alice's face fell.

"Bella, you said you'd be a good sport," Alice said calmly.

"Yea, yea," Bella responded, waving her hand at Alice dismissively.

Jasper got out of his chair and laughed quietly, kissing Alice on the head as he walked past her to the sink. "Come on, sweetheart, let's go get changed." He turned and looked at me. "You and I are going with them."

I raised my eyebrows. "Jasper wants to go shopping?" I teased. "Gonna get a manicure, too, Jazz?" I joked, taking a sip from the orange juice Bella had poured for me.

"Ha-fuckety-ha," Jasper retorted, glaring at me as he put his arm around Alice's shoulders and headed out of the kitchen. "Just be ready in five!" he called as they retreated to their bedrooms.

I chuckled and shook my head as I looked at Bella. She had a faraway look in her eyes as she stared down at her cup of coffee.

"Bella," I started softly. Her head snapped up in my direction and I took in her blank expression. "What's up?"

She shrugged and looked down at the table again, wrapping her arms around her torso. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion as I reached over and took one of her hands, unwrapping it from her waist and holding it firmly in mine.

"What is it?" I asked.

Bella sighed and shook her head, glancing at me once before looking back at her empty breakfast bowl. "I like when Alice is happy," she murmured quietly after a moment of silence. I looked at her confused, wondering where that statement had come from. "I don't ever want to be the reason she's upset," she continued, finally looking up at me and trying to convey with her eyes what she was trying to say. I still didn't understand. "So let's not tell her," she explained softly, looking straight into my confused eyes. "Or any of them…about what happened. I can't stand to hurt them." She sighed and shook her head, her gaze focusing on my chest. I could always tell when she was trying to avoid eye contact with me.

"You don't want to tell them what's been going on these last three months?" I clarified quietly, not sure how I felt about keeping such a huge secret from our family permanently.

She nodded, and replied a bit shakily, "Yea. I mean, we're okay now, so it'd be pointless."

I took in her logic for a minute, letting her words turn around in my head before muttering a soft, "I…guess…"

"Unless you want to tell them," she amended quickly.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair, contemplating. As wrong as it felt keeping this from our families, Bella did have a point. If we had worked things out, then there was no reason to upset anyone. It was over and done and Bella and I were now working through our problems together. Our families knowing wouldn't be a benefit in any way.

I met her worried eyes once again and reached forward with my free hand, stroking the side of her face with my knuckles. "Maybe you're right," I whispered.

She nodded and exhaled a shaky breath before clearing the table quietly and leading me upstairs. I was already dressed for the day so I sat patiently on the bed and watched Bella walk around the room, pulling articles of clothing from the closet or the drawers and placing them on the bed in front of her. The whole scene was oddly soothing. It had been so long since I had watched Bella carry out mundane activities such as getting dressed in the morning and now I appreciated it so much more. The way she moved, the way her eyebrows furrowed in contemplation when choosing a shirt, the way she bit her bottom lip when she regarded herself in the mirror. It was all strangely…intriguing.

"Stop checking me out," she suddenly said, just as she was pulling jeans up and over her creamy legs.

"I wasn't," I claimed, even though at the same time I was staring unabashedly at her ass as she fastened her belt.

"You are," she retorted, laughing softly.

"Can't help it," I mumbled, shaking my head as she pulled on her shoes and grabbed a jacket. "You're amazing."

She halted her movements and stared at me blankly. I finally snapped out of my lust-induced haze and looked up at her, wondering if I had said something wrong.

"What?" I asked stupidly.

"Why are you complimenting me so much lately?" she asked quietly, staring at me to gauge my reaction.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. You're always saying things like 'you're beautiful,' 'you're amazing,'" she pointed out.

"I'm…sorry?" I was far beyond confused now. Did my compliments make her uncomfortable?

She shook her head and bit her lip as she eyed me warily. "If you're doing it as form of apology for everything, Edward…I thought we had gotten over that. We forgave each other, remember?"

"Wait," I stopped her, standing up and walking over to her. "That's not what it's about, Bella. Not at all."

"Then…what?" she asked timidly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Does it make you uncomfortable?" I had to know.

She shook her head quickly. "No. No it doesn't."

I sighed deeply. "I went three months without having you, Bella. The words that come out of my mouth? They aren't manufactured or practiced or even thought of beforehand. They're just blurted out. I guess I just always want you to know what an incredible woman you are. I can't help that."

She stared at me for a few moments before looking down and nodding. "Then, th-thank you," she murmured shyly.

I smiled at her sudden timid-ness and walked closer to her, kissing the top of her head and waiting for her to look up at me. When she finally did, I placed a hand on the side of her face and leaned in, gently pressing my lips to hers in a long, lingering kiss.

"For the record," she breathed against my lips. "I think everything about you is amazing."

I smiled against her mouth before placing one more chaste kiss against it. "Come on," I said, taking her hand. "They're probably waiting."

She nodded and followed me downstairs and to the garage where, like I had predicted, Alice and Jasper were already getting into Jasper's car. We drove in relative silence to the mall and upon arriving, Alice all but dragged Bella out of the car before Jasper and I even had our seatbelts off.

"We'll meet you guys in the food court at one!" Alice called over her shoulder as the two of them entered the large mall. I chucked when Bella looked over at me pleadingly right before they were out of sight.

"Looks like it's just you and me, buddy," Jasper sighed, smiling slightly and patting me on the back as we walked into the mall at a leisurely pace.

"Yea, I guess we're just a ride to them, huh?" I joked.

Jasper chuckled. "Got that right," he mumbled, and I immediately understood the double meaning.

"Fuck, Jasper, what's with you lately?" I demanded, humor evident in my tone as we boarded the escalators to get to the second level.

"What?" he asked, seeming genuinely confused.

"Everything is sexual innuendos and connotations. You're not usually so…vulgar all the time," I reasoned.

He laughed and shook his head. "Well, since you've been so M.I.A. lately, I've been spending a lot of time with Emmett and he's, well…oh come on, you've met him," he deadpanned.

It was my turn to laugh. It was true. Emmett definitely always had his mind in the gutter.

I couldn't help the pang of guilt that hit me at Jasper's words though. Bella and I hadn't really spent too much time with the family aside from dinners or the occasional wedding planning. Granted they were at work most of the time—even though Jasper was a college professor, he was teaching summer school this year. But Bella and I could have made more of an effort—we should have.

"I'm sorry about that, man. Being so distant I mean," I responded quietly.

"No worries," he shrugged. "Point is, you and Bella are only here for a couple more weeks. So let's make the best of it, yes?"

I chuckled at Jasper's ease and nodded. "Sure, man. That sounds good."

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around, not really paying attention to our surroundings because we were in deep conversation for the majority of the time. That was one thing I had missed most about Jasper—you could have a real conversation with him.

We met up with the girls at one like we had planned and had a quick lunch. Bella was beyond thankful that they had finished their shopping excursion and I merely chuckled at her tiredness as we headed back toward the car.

"Did you have fun?" I asked her teasingly.

She looked at me and openly glared as I opened the car door for her while Jasper did the same for Alice. "You're so hilarious," she replied flatly.

I chuckled and slid in next to her, wrapping my arm around her as we started back toward the lake house.

"So Rose is manning the store today and Emmett's gonna be at work a little later than usual. He said things came up yesterday and he couldn't get much done," Alice started from the passenger seat. Bella and I exchanged a quick glance at her statement as she continued, "So they're meeting us at the club. You guys want to leave around eight?" she asked, turning to look at us.

"Sounds good, Alice," Bella replied, smiling sincerely at my sister. I wondered if she too had realized what little time we had been spending with the rest of the family, especially Alice and Jasper. Then again, Alice was always the blunt type and could have called Bella out on it while they were shopping.

Alice smiled and turned back around as we finally reached the house. I hopped out and carried Bella's bags for her as we all walked inside. Alice and Jasper went to the den to watch a movie, but I could see Bella was tired so I suggested we go upstairs and take a nap.

"So, verdict?" I implored as I set the bags down in the corner of the room and Bella climbed onto the bed and lay down on her back.

"What are you talking about?" she asked me as I closed the door to the bedroom and went to lie down beside her.

"Shopping day. On a scale of one to ten. How much did you hate it?" I smirked, only joking slightly.

"It wasn't…too bad," she started quietly. "I missed Alice. I haven't spent a lot of time with her lately. She brought it up during shopping and I realized she was right. We really haven't spent a lot of time with them, Edward. And it's their wedding coming up."

I nodded and sighed. "Yea, Jasper lectured me a little bit on that earlier, too."

"All the crap that was going on between us…" she trailed off quietly, looking up at me hesitantly. "And Emmett and Rosalie torturing us…I guess we just didn't have any way to make time for them in between," she shrugged. "Or Esme and Carlisle! Gah, we are so selfish! They all probably hate us," she groaned.

"Hey," I chided softly, lifting her chin so she was looking at me. "What have we been talking about? Letting go of the past, right?" She nodded as I continued, "We both have this problem—not being able to let go of our guilt. But let's try not to think about what we should have done differently, okay? Let's just enjoy the time we have left with all of them now."

She smiled slightly at me. "When did you get so philosophical?" she teased.

I chuckled lightly and lay down on my back, pulling her to me so her head was resting on my chest. "I spent the whole day with Jasper. I always get all deep when I have long talks with him," I reasoned.

"Mmm," she hummed quietly, closing her eyes and snuggling into my chest. "I missed your smell."

"My smell?" I asked, amusement evident in my tone.

I looked down to see her bury her face deeper into my chest as she blushed three shades of crimson. "I can't believe I just said that," she mumbled.

I buried my nose in her hair and exhaled. "Hey, I'm just as guilty of missing your smell, too, love."

She lifted her head and looked at me incredulously. "Oh yea?"

I nodded. "Strawberries," I stated simply.

"Strawberries?"

"Yea," I answered. "Your shampoo. It's always either strawberry or coconut." I paused and sniffed her hair again as she giggled.

"Which one do you prefer?" she asked me, albeit seductively. I was sure she didn't even know how tempting she was always being.

"Both. I like when you change it with the seasons," I replied honestly.

Her mouth dropped open slightly. "You notice the change in my shampoo?"

I nodded. "Of course. You always use coconut in the winter and strawberry in the summer. And then in fall and spring you always mix it up. I never know which one it'll be. I like it that way." I paused and wondered if maybe her ritual had changed over the three months we were apart and my heart dropped slightly. "Do you…still do that?" I asked hesitantly.

She nodded, her eyes welling up with unshed tears. "Yes," she whispered, her voice breaking slightly. "I still do that."

I placed my hand on the side of her face and pulled her to me, kissing her longingly and passionately for a few moments before we finally lay in each other's arms and fell asleep to the sounds of our even breathing.

XxXxX

"Drink it, Edward!"

I shook my head at Alice and downed the shot, grimacing slightly as it burned its way down my throat. The last time I had drunk like this was at Alice and Jasper's engagement party, and that was because Emmett was trying to get me nice and drunk so that Bella and I would hook up.

My pants suddenly tightened at the memory and it didn't help matters that Bella's hand was resting on my thigh. I glanced over at her to see if she had noticed the sudden shift and I saw that she was now blushing.

"What are you blushing for?" Alice asked her, laughing loudly. She was always such a lightweight and never knew when to cut herself off.

"Nothing. It's just the alcohol," Bella replied quickly, taking a long drink from the beer Alice had placed in front of her.

"So where are Rosalie and Emmett?" I asked casually, effectively changing the subject. I hadn't seen or spoken to them since yesterday.

Alice shrugged and looked out at the crowd. When she decided she couldn't see past all of the bodies, she kneeled on her barstool to get a better view. "Oh, they just walked in!" She waved her hand slightly in the air and sat back down in her seat as Rosalie and Emmett approached us.

"Hey, guys," Rosalie greeted softly, sitting in the seat beside Alice as Emmett sat in the one next to Bella.

"Hey, Bella," Emmett greeted her quietly, obviously hesitant in speaking with her.

"Hey, Emmett," she replied just as softly, offering him a small nod as she turned her attention back to her drink and removed the hand that was in my lap.

I grazed her thigh with my hand in a reassuring manner and she glanced up at me quickly and smiled. We spent the first half of the night drinking and reminiscing of our childhoods. It was a little bit awkward because it was extremely obvious that Emmett and Rosalie avoided interacting with Bella and me as much as possible. I could tell Jasper was curious about the distance between us, but he wasn't one to call people out on their shit in front of a crowd. Alice, on the other hand—had she not been so completely inebriated by this point—probably would have.

We cut Alice off midway through the night since she was the only one who was really getting drunk—the rest of us were merely nursing our drinks—and I offered to go get a beer for Jasper and myself since everyone else was good. I was at the bar, paying for the alcohol, when I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist from behind. Before I could turn around and tell whoever it was to get the hell off of me, I felt warm lips at me ear.

"Meet me in the car. Five minutes," she whispered. Then she released me.

I turned around, my mouth hanging open in shock, as I watched Bella make her way through the crowd of dancing bodies all the way to the exit. The beers were completely forgotten as I abandoned them at the bar and hurried after her. It didn't take long to find Jasper's car where it was parked in the large parking lot. I hesitantly opened the backseat and there was Bella, sitting with her beautiful legs crossed, waiting for me.

"What are you doing?" I asked her, my voice somewhat husky as I slid in beside her.

"I wanted to be close to you," she responded quietly, leaning in toward me and barely touching her lips to mine.

"How did you get in here?" I mumbled against her lips as she climbed on top of me in the small space, straddling my lap. It didn't pass my attention how her dress rode up when she was sitting on me like that and I wasted no time grabbing her ass and dragging her warm body over mine.

"Mmm," she moaned, finally pressing her lips to mine. "I told Jasper I left something in here."

I nodded and continued kissing her as her hands went to the button of my pants. "Bella," I warned against her lips, pulling back to look at her. We were both breathing heavily by this point. "In Jasper's car?" I questioned her, raising my eyebrow. It was actually an enormous turn on that she wanted to throw down in the backseat of a car. We hadn't done that since senior year.

She nodded, her hands now moving to fumble with the buttons of my shirt. "Why not?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly as her fingers trembled.

My hold on her tightened as I pushed her down on my now very prominent erection and she moaned loudly into my mouth.

"I don't care, she's going to talk to us now," Rosalie's stern voice suddenly broke through the heavy breathing occurring between Bella and me. Before we even had the chance to move away from our compromising positions, the back door was pulled open and Rosalie stood there with a hand on her hip. "Yes, Bella, I followed you out here because—"

"Holy shit!" Emmett suddenly shrieked, clasping one hand over his mouth as he took in the scene before him.

Rosalie's mouth dropped open when she finally registered what was going on. It stayed like that for a few seconds, all of us just gaping at each other, too afraid to make a move.

Finally, Bella—blushing like always—awkwardly scrambled off of my lap and all but stumbled out of the car, pulling her dress down. I followed her out and made quick work of buttoning my shirt back up before running a hand through my hair.

The four of us stood there awkwardly, regarding each other, no one really sure what to say next.

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence and fidgeting, Emmett finally spoke up, "Are you guys like…into angry sex now? Because, shit, that could really complicate things."

I rolled my eyes at him and Bella crossed her arms over her chest, blushing even deeper—as if that were possible.

"What…you…how…fuck…" Rosalie stammered, pointing at us, clearly flustered.

"Rosalie rendered speechless?" I quipped tightly.

She glared at me. "Alright, what the fuck is going on? What was that?" she demanded, finally regaining some composure.

"What was what?" Bella asked quietly, shrugging and avoiding eye contact with everyone.

"It's a little too late to play coy, Bella. We saw that," Rosalie shot back.

"Saw what?" Bella raised her head and stared Rosalie down. She wasn't backing down and—God help me—my hard-on returned.

I discreetly adjusted myself in my pants and glanced at Emmett, only to see him watching me with his mouth hanging open slightly. "Fuck, Emmett, do you mind?" I snapped at him.

His laughter was ear shattering. "Dude, you're the one trying to hide your little problem there!" he defended.

"It's not little," I bit back.

"Okay, enough!" Rosalie interjected. She turned to Bella and lowered her voice. "Bella, what's going on?"

Bella let out a heavy breath before looking at me. I nodded minutely and took her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "Edward and I," she started, "we, um…we're…"

"Having angry sex?" Emmett suggested.

"No, Emmett," Bella replied, annoyed. "That night on the boat when you guys stranded us, we…we…talked."

Rosalie waited patiently and I realized Bella wasn't comfortable talking about this, so I took over. "We realized that we couldn't go on the way we were. We wanted to work through our problems, and that's exactly what we've been doing," I stated simply.

"You guys have been together since that night?" Rosalie asked, her voice small.

Bella and I both nodded.

"I can't believe you lied!" Rosalie yelled angrily. "How could you do that to us?"

"You hurt us, Rose," Bella pointed out, just as angrily. She dropped my hand and walked closer to Rosalie. "You guys messed with us from the day you found out we were getting a divorce. I know you were just trying to help, I get that. And we're thankful for it because I really do think it helped us figure out what dumb asses we were being. But you took it too far. You know that, right?"

Rosalie and Emmett both exchanged heavy glances before looking back at Bella and me.

"We just wanted some time to sort through everything," I interceded quietly. "Without you guys getting involved. You did help, yes, and we appreciate it. But sometimes you guys took things to a whole other level and it just fucked things up more. Take the engagement party for example. Getting us fucked up so we'd have sex? Really? What was that supposed to prove?"

"It…" Rosalie trailed off, swallowing hard.

"And setting us up with Ben and Angela?" Bella added. "What the hell was that?"

"You guys were together then," Emmett stated evenly.

I nodded. "Yea, we were. And do you know how fucking hard that was for us? Even if we were still separated, that was a really fucked up thing to do. To us and to Ben and Angela," I reminded them.

Emmett nodded before looking at Rosalie. "Rosie?" he said softly, nudging her arm gently.

Rosalie looked up at us, tears filling her eyes. "You guys…everything we did…we thought we were helping. We thought we could make you see. We were so desperate to make you see," she said, her voice breaking slightly. "And when we saw that our plans weren't working, we had to keep stepping it up. It got out of control. We know that. And we don't know how to make it up to you."

Bella had silent tears falling down her face by this point as well and she quickly wiped them away. "I know you guys were just trying to help. And you did…slightly," Bella said, smiling wryly as Rosalie let out a small, tear-filled laugh. "But you put us through hell and back. I needed you to be my friend, Rose. Not someone who was going to mess with my life like that," Bella finished sadly.

Rosalie nodded, sniffing back her own tears and wiping the ones on her cheeks away. "I know. Looking back…ugh, God! I wish I could just take it all back!"

"But if you did, then that night on the boat never would have happened," Bella pointed out softly. "I mean, Edward and I…we would have eventually realized that we needed to talk, but…who knows…maybe you guys spared us months of unnecessary heartbreak by speeding up the process."

Rosalie stared at Bella quietly for a few moments before sighing. "I'm so sorry, Bella," she finally said.

"Me too," she whispered, stepping into Rosalie's slightly open arms and wrapping her arms tightly around her waist.

"I missed my best friend," Rosalie murmured against Bella's hair as they held onto each other for a little longer before pulling away. "And my brother-in-law," Rosalie added, smiling at me and walking over. I opened my arms and she wrapped hers around me tightly. "I'm so sorry, Edward," she whispered against my hair.

"I know," I replied. "Me too."

She pulled away and we looked over at Emmett and Bella. Emmett was standing in front of Bella, looking like a kid about to get scolded by his parents.

"Bella…I'm…you have no idea how sorry I am," Emmett said softly, shaking his head.

Bella's face broke out into a small smile as she leaped into his arms and hugged him tightly. "Mmm…I love you, Emmett. And I'm sorry, too."

"What the hell are you guys apologizing for?" Rosalie asked Bella and me.

"For keeping this from you," Bella said, confused, as she pulled away from Emmett..

"And being too stupid to see what was right in front of us," I added, looking at Bella intensely.

Rosalie shook her head. "You guys needed time," she shrugged. "I get it. You deserved it for all the shit we put you guys through."

"But as far as being stupid…yea, apology accepted," Emmett joked. I punched him in the arm and chuckled.

"I missed my baby brother," he yelped, pulling me to him way too tightly and picking me up.

"Fuck, Emmett, you're crushing my kidneys," I choked out. He laughed whole heartedly and set me down, patting me on the back as I coughed.

"Okay, maybe we should head in. Alice and Jasper are probably worried," Rosalie said, amusement evident in her tone as she watched the two of us.

"Agreed," Bella nodded. I smiled at her and she smiled back at me.

"Aww, the lovebirds are back!" Emmett bellowed happily as he put an arm around both Bella and me so he was between us. "Hey, here's a plus—you guys can start having sex in the house now."

I burst into laughter. "Emmett, what makes you think we haven't already started having sex in the house?" I asked him, completely amused.

"You guys were just about to get it on in a car," Rosalie pointed out. "Isn't that because you can't do it in the house?" She seemed genuinely confused.

Bella shook her head slowly. "No, it was because I wanted him," she smirked.

"Oh, ew!" Rosalie shrieked.

Emmett moved away from us and stared at us with his jaw hanging open, wondering, "You guys have been screwing in the house? Our room is right next door, how did we not hear?"

"He gags me," Bella shrugged.

"Okay," Rosalie interrupted before it could get any further.

Emmett just stood there, staring at us with a look of horror on his face. It only caused my laughter to intensify.

"No more talk of their sex lives, Emmett," Rosalie scolded before linking her arm through Bella's and heading toward the entrance of the club. "Now, Bella," Rosalie started, "please tell me how you managed to kidnap my dress, get Emmett thrown in jail, and get my car towed all in one day."

Bella laughed quietly and glanced back at me before turning her attention to Rosalie and delving into the full story. Emmett and I were walking behind them and their voices faded away as Emmett started speaking.

"Dude, do you really gag her?" he asked, his voice low as he continued staring at me.

I kept my eyes trained ahead as we walked and my face broke out into a wide smile. "Jesus, Emmett," I chuckled, shaking my head. "I really fucking missed you."

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**Author's Note: Thank you for reading :)**


	19. Turnaround

_**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**_

**Author's Note: You guys are amazing. The late update is basically due to my real life kicking me in the ass sometimes and I am truly sorry. I'm not going to bore you with a long author's note, so enjoy this chapter! :)**

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_**Bella POV**_

It was an odd thing to hold Edward's hand in front of Rosalie and Emmett. It was even weirder kissing him in front of them. We had pretended to be getting along for the family at first, and then we had to pretend we were still fighting for Emmett and Rosalie. Pretend. Pretend. Pretend. It had always been pretend this or pretend that. It was strangely…freeing…to know that there was no more pretending. Ever.

I grasped Edward's hand tighter as the six of us left the club. Jasper had Alice in his arms, carrying her to the car since she was on the brink of passing out. Once we got to Jasper's car, Emmett and Rosalie parted ways to their own vehicle.

"Goodnight," Rosalie whispered in my ear as she hugged me tightly.

She pulled back and I smiled at her. "I'll see you tomorrow," I said, because we both knew that for the rest of the night, I would be with Edward. Only Edward.

I slid into the car and Edward followed in after me. Alice groaned a little when we went over a speed bump and I reached forward and touched her hand.

"Alice?" I said softly. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

She nodded and barely managed to open her eyes. "Don't feel good," she slurred quietly.

"Honey, are you going to throw up?" Jasper asked her worriedly. We were about five minutes away from the lake house and I was praying that she would be able to hold it.

Apparently she could not.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" she sputtered anxiously, shaking her head as she put a hand firmly over her mouth.

"Shit, Jasper, pull over," Edward said frantically, taking off his seatbelt and scooting forward to look Alice over.

Jasper pulled onto the side of the road and Alice practically jumped out before the car even made a full stop. I took my seatbelt off and quickly got out, going to where she was crouched down behind a large bush, seemingly out of sight of anyone who would drive by.

I sat beside her and gathered her hair behind her—Alice's hair had always been short so the strands kept falling over her face and I had to keep pushing them back as she emptied all the contents of her stomach onto the ground.

"Bella, is she okay?" Jasper asked.

I looked over my shoulder and saw Edward and Jasper standing behind me, watching Alice with matching looks of concern on their faces.

I nodded and let out a heavy breath as Alice coughed beside me. Having known her for so long—and having held her hair back on more than one occasion—I knew that was a sure sign that she was finished.

I rubbed her back gently. "Feel better?" I asked softly.

She nodded, still looking at the ground as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She looked behind us to where Edward and Jasper were still standing, watching her every move, wanting to make sure she was okay.

"You guys, can you like, not be here?" she moaned.

"Alice, I want to make sure you're okay," Jasper reasoned.

She nodded. "I know, but I don't feel good. I can't have you guys watching me. It makes me feel…gross," she explained pleadingly.

Jasper exhaled a heavy breath, obviously battling with himself—one side not being able to turn away and the other wanting to do what made Alice happy. Finally, he nodded and he and Edward grudgingly turned around and walked back to the car.

I looked back at Alice. "You okay?" I asked her, offering a small smile.

She nodded and sighed, looking down at the ground. "I drank too much," she groaned.

"I know," I laughed quietly.

"I've just been so stressed with wedding stuff. It's my own fault," she said, shaking her head.

"How is it your fault?" I asked her, confused.

"Because, Bella, who gets married a month after getting engaged? People usually wait months, years even. And now I know why. It's taking so much out of both of us and it's because of me. Because I can't wait and just have to do everything right then and there. I'm just an impatient asshole," she mumbled.

"Alice, you are not an impatient asshole."

She looked up at me and sighed. "I just want to be happy. Like you and Edward. And I am right now, but I just…want to be married to Jasper so bad. I want to be with him forever," she said, her voice shaking.

I nodded and placed my hand on the side of her face, stroking it gently. "I know, and you will. You'll have everything. In less than one week, you will be Mrs. Mary Alice Whitlock," I smiled.

She let out another heavy breath and laughed quietly. "Mrs. Mary Alice Cullen Whitlock," she corrected.

"You're keeping your maiden name? I didn't keep mine," I frowned playfully, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Duh, Cullen is an awesome name. Who wouldn't want it?" she teased.

I laughed softly and helped her off the dirt ground. She was still a little wobbly on her feet so I helped keep her upright.

Jasper and Edward were waiting by the car and Jasper immediately came forward and helped Alice into the passenger seat of the car.

"Everything okay?" Edward whispered, placing his hands on either side of my face as Jasper walked around to the driver's side.

I nodded and smiled. "Yea," I replied. "Let's go home."

He smiled crookedly at me and I knew tonight we would have no interruptions.

Alice was completely passed out when we arrived at the lake house. Edward insisted on helping Jasper carry her upstairs, but Jasper thanked him and said he could handle it from there, so the four of us made our way inside and went our separate ways to our rooms.

"Well, tonight was interesting," Edward sighed, unbuttoning his shirt and kicking off his shoes as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"That it was," I agreed. "Definitely a story for our grandkids." I walked over to him and kneeled down in front of him, placing my hands on his knees before sliding them down his legs and pulling his socks gently of his feet.

"Grandkids, huh?"

I looked up at him and saw him smiling that beautiful crooked smile at me. I simply nodded, tossing his socks to the side and sliding my hands back up his legs to rest on his thighs.

"I assume that implies you want kids," he continued, still smiling at me.

"Was there ever any doubt?" I asked, smiling what I hoped was a seductive smile, as I continued unbuttoning his shirt for him since he had left the task undone.

"I don't know," he responded hesitantly. "Maybe things changed over the last three months."

My movements froze and I looked up him, my eyes widening as what he said registered. We had talked about having kids before, but did he mean that he had changed his mind about that during our separation? I mean, we had both changed since then—for the better, I thought—but could this possibly mean he no longer wanted to have a family?

He must have read my mind through the expression on my face because his own eyes widened and he grabbed my hands as they stayed still on the buttons of his shirt.

"Bella, I didn't mean it like that. I just wanted to make sure that you hadn't changed your mind about it," he explained. I stared at him stunned, feeling a great sense of relief wash over me. "You haven't changed your mind, have you?" he asked, not trying to mask the pain in his voice.

I shook my head and pulled my hands away from him, only to place them on either side of his face like he had done to me earlier. "No," I whispered. "I haven't changed my mind. I want that with you. I want everything with you," I stated with conviction.

He stared at me for a moment before capturing my lips in a passionate kiss. I finally managed to work my way back to the buttons of his shirt, and he helped me slide it off his shoulders. He moved back onto the bed and pulled me with him, his lips never breaking away from mine as I straddled his lap. I got a sudden sense of dejavu from the night of the engagement party as I stared down at him. Only this time, our passion wasn't fueled by too much alcohol and repressed emotions. Instead, it was fueled by our love for each other—the same love that had survived so much and became stronger than ever.

I placed my hand on the side of Edward's face and stoked his cheek with my thumb as he gazed up at me lovingly, his hands placed firmly on either side of my waist.

"What?" he asked softly when I continued to just stare at him.

I shook my head and smiled. "Nothing, I just like looking at you," I stated simply. I leaned down again and captured his lips with mine. He moaned into my mouth and lifted my dress up and over my head, leaving me in only my bra, panties, and heels.

I went to work unbuttoning his dress pants and he lifted off the bed to help me slide them down his body. I went to kick off my heels, but his hand stopped me.

"Leave them," he said huskily, kissing my neck and behind my ear.

"Mmm," I moaned as he continued placing kisses wherever he could reach. "When did you get so kinky?" I teased.

He laughed quietly and unfastened my bra, throwing it to the side before laying back and gazing up at me. His eyes roamed my body as I sat on top of him in nothing but my black lace underwear and stilettos.

"Now you're the one looking at me," I pointed out, smiling softly at him.

He nodded, still eyeing me unabashedly. "Yea, I am," he stated, placing his hand on the back of my neck and pulling me down to him, claiming my lips once more.

We both got rid of our remaining clothing and I positioned myself on top of him before taking him in fully. He gasped and fell back on the bed, obviously not expecting me to take him in one stroke.

I began moving on top of him at a steady pace as he grasped onto my hips—I knew without a doubt he would leave bruises, but I didn't care. The pain felt good mixed with the pleasure of having him inside me.

I sped up my movements and I could tell he was close when his jaw clenched and his eyes were shut tight. Within a matter of minutes, I felt him explode inside of me as I continued riding him. He let out a low moan and opened his eyes, watching my hips as they slowed their pace, but continued moving until he was spent.

He looked up at me, completely breathless, before sitting up and wrapping his arm around my waist, holding my body flush against his. I started moving again, slower this time…much slower.

He gently took my heels off of my feet, rubbing them gently as he threw the shoes to the floor. I moved my legs to wrap fully around his waist and he helped me move my body over his. Our mouths were mere centimeters apart, but they weren't touching. We were both breathing in and out deeply, shakily. Edward placed a soft kiss against my lips as we continued the erotically slow pace and I gasped slightly when I felt his thumb press to my clit and begin rubbing firm circles against it.

"Edward," I breathed against his mouth.

"Give me everything, Bella," he whispered, his finger increasing its ministrations slightly, but our hips continuing their torturously slow and steady pace.

My orgasm was building up slowly before it finally took over my entire body, warming me from the inside out. I pressed my lips against his to muffle the sounds of my moans slightly as I continued convulsing around him, and he continued moving me against him as I rode out the end of my climax.

I finally stopped and placed my hands on his as they were still wrapped around me. Our noses were barely touching, and our heavy, quivering breaths were the only thing that broke the silence in the room. I had yet to open my eyes as I stayed there with him inside me, still recovering from one of the most intimate sexual experiences we had ever shared. My breathing was almost embarrassingly loud and I was trembling, but Edward didn't seem to care as his arms remained wrapped around me.

I felt him place a soft kiss to my forehead and I finally opened my eyes to see him staring at me intently. I finally managed to get most of my breathing under control and I managed a lazy smile for him.

"You're my girl," he whispered, tucking a strand piece of hair behind my ear as he continuing gazing at me tenderly.

I nodded, tears welling up in my eyes at his affection. Nothing else was said as I finally lifted off of him and he pulled the covers back, both of us crawling into the bed, my back flush against his chest as he put his arm around my waist, holding me to him tightly. I placed my hand over his and moved it up to place it over my heart. He kissed my neck and whispered his love for me, for which I returned, and then sleep slowly overtook me as I lay there content in the arms of my love.

XxXxX

Rosalie and I were planning Alice's bachelorette party. There were still five days left until the wedding, but because Alice was so busy doing last minute wedding stuff—I agreed with what she had said the previous night; one month was just not enough time to plan a whole wedding—we had to make it a few days earlier than usual.

We were currently sitting around the kitchen table, going over all of our options and deciding to have it the next night. Jasper was having his bachelor party the next night, too, so we figured it would make sense to have them on the same day.

"Okay, so dancing, all day spa, karaoke, or a stripper's club," Rosalie said, reading off the list we had made that morning. "Take your pick."

"Is it bad that we waited so long to plan her bachelorette party?" I asked, still feeling guilty for having unintentionally neglected Alice for the last couple of weeks.

"No, I've been planning it for the last week and a half," Rosalie responded nonchalantly, still looking down at the list.

"What? Without me?" I demanded.

She looked up at me, stunned by my outburst. "Hello, you and Edward were the ones who totally ostracized Emmett and me," she defended.

"Ostracized?"

"…and so I didn't think you'd be too thrilled with spending time with me."

"Where did you learn that word?" I asked her, totally ignoring what she was saying.

"And her wedding is coming up, so someone had to plan it," she continued, obviously ignoring me as well.

"Did Jasper teach you?" I pondered curiously.

"But now we're both here, so let's get to it."

"I mean, did you even use it correctly?"

"Oh my God, Bella, shut up!" Rosalie snapped, throwing the notepad on the table and glaring at me.

I had the balls to crack a small smile. We both knew that after my first question, I was just trying to get a rise out of her and she was trying really hard to stay calm. I had missed this playfulness with Rosalie. Although, I wasn't sure how much of it could be considered playfulness since she was still staring at me murderously.

"Now, can we get back to it?" she said through gritted teach, picking up the notepad again and sighing loudly.

I laughed softly and she glared at me before I quickly composed my features and sat up a little straighter. "Okay, go," I told her.

She rolled her eyes and sighed again. "Alright, dancing?"

"Boring, we did that last night," I waved off.

She crossed it off the list. "Spa day?" she asked, looking up at me hopefully.

"That's a maybe. I mean, how long can we really spend getting massages and facials?"

She smirked. "Oh, you have no idea." She looked back at the list and said, "Stripper's club?"

"Ha-ha," I deadpanned. "No."

"Why not?" she demanded.

"Because, Rose, I don't want to go and see some dude's junk."

"It's not like they'll take their underwear off," she reasoned.

"Still, I just…I don't want to go," I stammered, blushing furiously and looking down.

"Is it because you don't want to be unfaithful to your precious Edward-kins?" she mocked.

I looked up at her and glared. "No," I gritted out. "I just don't want to."

"Because you know he and Emmett are taking Jasper to a stripper's club, right?"

My eyes widened slightly. "They are?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Okay, well Emmett suggested the idea to Jasper and he was totally into it."

I raised my eyebrows. That did not sound like Jasper.

"Okay, fine, he mentioned it in passing," she huffed.

My eyebrows were raised higher.

"Alright! He said it to me like three months ago when he was waiting for Jasper to finally propose," she admitted. "Happy?"

"You're relentless," I said, shaking my head and laughing lightly. "Why do you want to go to a stripper club so bad anyway?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. It's dirty. I feel at home there."

We both burst out laughing at that. "Rosalie, you are one of a kind," I smiled.

"I know," she sighed, turning back to the list. "Alright, fine. Karaoke?" she suggested unenthusiastically.

"That could be fun," I nodded, even though the idea of going up on stage and singing in front of a crowd was not very appealing. "Put that as a maybe, too."

She nodded and marked the list appropriately before setting it on the table. We both sat in silence as we went over our options in our heads. There had to be something fun and unique for us to do. Something that we would all enjoy and something none of us had ever really done before.

"Oh!" I gasped, causing Rosalie to jump slightly as I got out of my chair and walked over to the counter, picking up the newspaper and bringing it back to show her. "I was reading this thing on these cruises earlier. It's like an all night event. You go on this little ship and it just sails along the shore for a few hours. There's dancing and music and…I heard it's really romantic," I finished quietly, smiling down at the picture, completely lost in thought.

"Cool, but seeing as I'm not interested in boning you or Alice, I don't think the romantic cruise idea will fly," she quipped.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Okay, well, how about this? We all have our separate day—the guys do what they want and the girls do what they want—and then we meet up later for this," I suggested. I could see Rosalie's eyes brighten a little at that so I continued while I had her hooked, "And we can even surprise Alice with it. Come on, she would be so happy if Jasper showed up unexpectedly and whisked her off her feet."

She looked at me for a moment longer before grabbing the newspaper from my hands and looking down at it intently. "It says seven to midnight. Dinner…candlelight…soft music," she read. "Aw, even a violinist," she beamed before looking up at me. "I think this is perfect, Bella."

"Yea?" I asked excitedly.

She nodded. "Yea."

The front door opened and Emmett's booming voice was suddenly heard from the foyer. "No way, man, Young Frankenstein may be a classic, but I've seen Gene Wilder in better," Emmett was rambling on as he and Edward walked into the kitchen.

"Back from your walk?" Rosalie asked as the two of them went to the fridge to get a water bottle.

"Yea, it's a nice day out. Did you guys figure out what you're doing for the bachelorette party?" Emmett replied, smirking devilishly.

"As a matter-of-fact, we did. And it's awesome," she sang smugly.

Edward took a drink from his water bottle and walked over to me, smiling slightly as he bent down and pressed a gentle kiss to my lips. "I missed you," he whispered. I smiled against his mouth and offered one more peck before wrapping my arms around his waist.

"Em, why can't you greet me like that?" Rosalie pouted, watching as Edward put his arm around my shoulder.

Emmett looked at the two of us and then back at Rosalie, a look of horror on his face. "I…I…um," he stuttered, causing Edward and I to laugh while Rosalie just glared at him. "I love you more than life," he finally offered. "I don't need to prove it every five minutes."

Rosalie looked at Edward and I and titled her head to the side, smirking as Emmett walked over and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Come on, I need a shower," he said, winking at her.

"Gross, Em," I stated flatly.

"What, like you guys aren't doing it," he defended, taking Rose's hand and leading her to the stairs.

"Don't forget we have to make those calls tonight!" I called after Rosalie.

"Will do!" she threw over her shoulder as the two disappeared upstairs.

"What calls?" Edward asked me.

I turned back to him and smiled. "Rosalie and I are planning a romantic cruise for tomorrow night."

"A romantic cruise, huh?" he murmured, placing his arms around my waist and holding me close. "Will I be present for this…romantic cruise?"

I couldn't stop smiling as I gazed up at him. "It wouldn't be romantic unless you were there, now would it?"

"Hmm, I guess not."

I reached up on my toes and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth before pulling back to look at him. "We have to work out the details later. We wanna have separate things to do during the day and then at night we'll surprise Alice with you guys showing up. Do you think she'll like it?" I asked, wanting to get his opinion.

He nodded, smiling down at me lovingly. "She'll love it," he whispered, kissing my lips once more. "Oh, before I forget," he said, pulling back and walking to the fridge to put his half-drunken water bottle back. "Carlisle and Esme invited us to dinner tonight. They wanna spend some time with us."

My smile got even wider. "They do?"

He nodded. "Yea, six thirty. Don't be late," he teased.

I shook my head and laughed quietly, distracted with thoughts of how nice it was going to be to spend some much needed time with the two people who had been second parents to me my entire life.

Edward and I lounged around with Rosalie and Emmett for the rest of the day since they were off work and when Alice got back, I asked her if she would help me get ready for dinner. Her face brightened visibly, and for once I knew it wasn't just because I was actually going to her for fashion advice—it was because we hadn't spent a lot of time together lately. It was why I had asked her, really. I just wanted to have an excuse to hang out with my best friend and I knew asking her to help me get ready for tonight would be the perfect way.

I ended up wearing simple black skinny jeans with a purple, frilled top, and black heels. They weren't too high, for which I was thankful, and they completed the outfit. We were going to a nice restaurant, but Esme had told Edward that casual attire would be best.

After thanking Alice for her help with my hair, make-up, and clothing choice, I walked back to mine and Edward's room and saw that he was in the bathroom, buttoning up his dark gray dress shirt. I leaned against the doorframe to the bedroom and admired him in his black fitted slacks—they fit in all the right places.

"Like what you see?"

I looked up and saw that Edward was now facing me as he rolled his sleeves up to his elbows. He was smiling my favorite crooked smile, knowing exactly what that did to me.

"Mmm," I hummed, nodding as I continued to watch him. "I love what I see."

He chuckled and walked over to me, placing a kiss on the side of my face as he took my hand in his. Esme and Carlisle were already downstairs waiting for us and after talking for a little while with everyone else, the four of us went on our way.

Carlisle drove his car and Esme sat in the back with me while Edward sat in the passenger seat with Carlisle. They were talking about a new hospital branch in the area when Esme turned to me and took my hand in hers.

"I feel like I've barely had two seconds with you since you and Edward have come to visit," she said, smiling softly.

I nodded sadly. "I know, Esme, I'm sorry we haven't made more of an effort. I guess there was just so much going on. What, with Alice's wedding and just being back with everyone after so long…" I explained.

"I understand. It can all be a little overwhelming," she agreed.

"But, it doesn't excuse anything. And I hope we can make it up to you guys for the rest of our time here," I said hopefully.

Esme was always a mother to me since Renee lived so far away and traveled with Phil since he was a minor league baseball player. I rarely ever saw her. But Esme was always there while I was growing up and I could trust her with my whole life.

That thought caused a sudden pang in my chest and my hand immediately went to my heart, clutching it as I looked down. I had always trusted Esme with everything, but for the last three months, I had kept the biggest secret of all from her.

"What is it sweetheart?" she asked worriedly, placing her hand on the side of my face.

I looked up into her warm green eyes—they were just like Edward's and made me feel at home instantly. I felt even more ashamed for lying to her.

"Esme, I—"

"We're here," Carlisle announced from the driver's seat.

I looked up and sure enough we were in front of the restaurant. I sighed and looked back at Esme, who was still watching me with a look of worry on her face.

"I've just missed you is all," I decided to say.

She just continued staring at me, confused, as I opened my door and walked out. I held it open for her as she slid out as well and Carlisle gave the valet his keys.

"Shall we?" Carlisle smiled, walking back over to us and placing his arm around Esme's shoulders.

Esme, however, was still gazing at me worriedly. Carlisle looked between the two of us, concerned, before asking, "Is everything alright?"

I nodded. "Yea, everything's fine," I said, managing a small smile for him. I looked up at Edward and saw that he was watching me intently as well. I tried giving him a reassuring smile, but his eyebrows remained furrowed as he stared at me.

"Let's head inside then," Carlisle finally said, leading Esme toward the entrance.

I started to follow them, but Edward grabbed my hand and stopped me. When I turned around and looked at him, his eyes were full of worry.

"Bella, what's wrong?"

I shook my head. "Nothing," I lied. I knew he would see right through it.

He sighed and seemed a little annoyed. "Are we really back to that?"

"To what?" I asked, my voice small.

"Bella, I know you aren't being honest with me. If you don't want to tell me, then fine. But don't lie to me."

I looked down and tried to collect my thoughts, but after a few seconds, Edward walked past me and toward the restaurant. I was going to say something, tell him what was bothering me, but I couldn't find my voice quick enough.

I finally walked to the front entrance and went inside to where Edward, Carlisle, and Esme were waiting by the hostess stand. Once I joined them, the hostess took us to our tables and gave us our menus before taking our drink orders. It was relatively silent while we all read over the menu and each passing minute felt like a century. I couldn't stand having Edward next to me, knowing he was upset. And I couldn't stand having Esme sitting there, worried about me when I didn't deserve it.

Once we placed our orders and the waiter left, Carlisle turned to us, smiling. He was oblivious to any tension at the table and I hoped to keep it that way.

"So, how have things been in New York?" he asked enthusiastically. "Are you still writing, Bella?"

I smiled at him and nodded. "Yea, I'm really enjoying working for the magazine," I offered.

"Have you guys bought a house yet?" he asked.

Edward and I exchanged a quick glance. "Uh, no, not yet," Edward replied. "We're working on it." He smiled at me and I could tell it was forced. I couldn't take this anymore. I had to tell him what was wrong. He would know what to do.

"You better," Esme chimed in. I was relieved to see that her old self was back again. "You're going to need room for all those kids running around."

"I can't stop thinking about when you two were kids yourselves," Carlisle mused, gazing at us with a small smile on his face. "Who would have thought you'd grow up, fall in love, and get married?"

Edward and I both laughed quietly and I blushed slightly.

"I did," Esme claimed, a private smile on her face as she looked at me. "I could tell by the way Edward always looked at her."

I looked down and smiled, a little embarrassed from the attention I was receiving. But then I felt Edward's warm hand on my thigh and everything was okay again. I looked up at him and he smiled down at me warmly, giving me a gentle squeeze before releasing me.

Dinner went by smoothly as the four of us laughed and reminisced on old times. It was the most light-hearted I had felt in such a long time and I realized how much I had truly missed Carlisle and Esme.

Carlisle picked up the check, against mine and Edward's protests, and the four of us decided to take a walk in the park across the street and get some ice cream for dessert.

After we purchased our ice cream from the cute little cart in the park, we began a nice stroll along the pathway. It wasn't the same park that Edward and I had come to before, but it was equally as beautiful. All of the trees had twinkling lights on them and there was even a string quartet playing as we walked by. I had just finished my ice cream when Edward placed his arm around my waist and pulled me tighter against his side.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he said quietly. "I shouldn't have reacted like that."

I looked up at him and nodded. "Yes, you should have. I should have told you what was bothering me." He continued to gaze down at me, waiting for me to elaborate. I glanced ahead of us where Esme and Carlisle were walking, completely wrapped up in eachother, and it brought a smile to my face. "I almost told Esme," I admitted softly.

"You…what…?" he trailed off.

I looked up at him and bit my lip, nodding. "I can't…I can't keep this from her, Edward. I can't."

"But you're the one who said you didn't want to tell the family," he pointed out, confused.

"I know…God, I know," I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face. "But this is Esme and Carlisle. They're my mom and dad just as much as they are yours, and…I don't know. The way Esme looked at me in the car…I just…I couldn't bear to keep something like this from her. I thought I could, but I can't." My voice shook slightly, tears threatening to escape.

"Bella," he whispered. "Now? It's…it's not the time."

I nodded, swallowing hard and trying to keep the tears at bay. "I know. I know it's not."

Carlisle and Esme suddenly stopped walking and Edward and I quickly composed ourselves as they turned around to face us.

"Look," Esme pointed. I followed her line of sight to where a bride stood with her groom and the rest of their wedding party, posing for pictures near some of the more abundant twinkling lights. "Isn't that beautiful?" she murmured.

I watched as the couple posed with their maids of honor and groomsmen and I smiled widely. "It is," I agreed.

"God, do you remember our wedding?" Esme asked, turning to look up at Carlisle.

"God, over thirty years ago," Carlisle stated in awe, shaking his head.

Esme nodded and smiled, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as she gazed lovingly at her husband. "We've come a long way," she said.

"We certainly have."

I couldn't help the tears that fell down my cheeks as I watched the two of them, so in love and so right for each other. I was so happy I had Edward—someone I would be spending the rest of my life with. Losing him was just not an option anymore.

Esme turned her warm gaze to Edward and I, and she frowned when she saw that I was crying. "What is it, Bella?" she asked, her worry from earlier returning.

I shook my head and smiled, wiping my tears away. "Nothing, you guys just love each other so much," I explained, my voice shaking embarrassingly. "I'm just so happy for you. And…I'm happy that I have someone to make me happy, too." I gazed up at Edward and saw that he was smiling down at me. He lifted his hand and brushed my tears away with his thumb.

"You do, Bella," Esme murmured. "And you always will because you and Edward love each other and nothing will ever separate you. You're both so lucky to have each other. And I know you know that."

I nodded, looking down as the guilt rose to the surface once again. When Esme looked at me with her vibrant green eyes…it was hard to tell myself that it was better to keep what had happened between Edward and I a secret. Even though the saying was true—what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them—it killed me not being able to tell them.

It had been so easy to suggest to Edward that we keep what had happened a secret, but looking into Esme's eyes, it made it hard to keep something of this magnitude from her. When I glanced up at Edward, he was already looking down at me. And I knew it that moment we were both thinking the same thing.

They deserved to know.

There would be no easy way to tell them, but I knew now that we couldn't keep this a secret forever. I had been foolish to think that we could.

"Shall we head home?" Carlisle suggested when a cold breeze swept by.

"Oh," I gasped, wrapping my arms around myself when the chilly night air hit me.

"Let's hurry to the car," Esme said, shaking slightly as Carlisle wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Keep your girl warm, Edward," Esme warned playfully as Edward and I trailed behind her and Carlisle.

Edward, who had his arm wrapped tightly around my waist, chuckled softly. "Always," he murmured, kissing the top of my head.

I wrapped my arms tightly around Edward's waist as we rushed back to the restaurant to get the car.

"You know what will happen if we tell them, right?" Edward suddenly said, his voice low and soft.

I smiled ruefully, a bit relieved that we had both been indeed entertaining the idea. "Yea," I nodded. "I know."

"What made you change your mind?" he asked curiously.

I sighed just as Esme looked over her shoulder at us and smiled. We smiled in return and she winked before turning back around and cuddling closer to Carlisle as we walked.

"I think it was…her eyes," I replied softly. I glanced up at Edward again and saw him watching me with an intense expression. "What?" I asked nervously.

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head. "It's just that…I changed my mind about telling them for that same reason. I can't look my mother in the eye for the rest of my life if I know that we're keeping something like this from all of them."

I nodded. "They'll hate us," I whispered, already having second doubts.

"True," Edward affirmed. "But I think we would hate ourselves even more if we never told them."

I sighed again, knowing he was right. "I was stupid for even suggesting we keep everything a secret," I groaned quietly.

"No, you weren't."

"Yes, I was. Don't ever listen to anything I say again. You should have talked me out of it," I insisted.

He shook his head. "Hey, no, you do not take the blame for this. I was fully on board for keeping it a secret. To be honest…I'm still teetering between keeping it from them or being honest," he admitted softly.

"Which are you leaning towards?" I asked curiously.

"I think I'm leaning towards what we both know they deserve."

I nodded, knowing what that meant.

They deserved the truth…and it was going to be a hell of a hard thing to give them. But then Edward said these two simple words in my ear and I felt that twinge of hope that everything would be okay again.

"I'm here," he whispered.

* * *

**Author's Note: So what do you think about Edward and Bella's change of heart? Would it have been better to keep it a secret or are they right in wanting to admit the truth? The next chapter will most likely be up a week from now if not sooner. I'll try getting it out as soon as possible. Thanks so much for reading and being patient with me. Your support means the world to me, always.**


	20. Before the Storm

_**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**_

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for the non-stop support. I'd like to apologize for the diminishing updates these last few weeks; there's no grand reason behind it—just life and school. But I'm doing my best to make sure that Sunday updates presume from here on out. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! :)**

* * *

_**Edward POV**_

"What the fuck, dude? Golf? Really?"

"Yes, Emmett," Jasper replied, smiling smugly. "Really."

Emmett groaned and threw his head back as I just shook my head and chuckled, steering the golf cart to the proper location as Emmett sat in the back and continued complaining.

"It's your bachelor party," he reasoned. "And you want to _golf_? What ever happened to keeping it classy? Strippers, trashy bars, beer?"

"Oh yea, Emmett. That's real classy," Jasper quipped, causing me to laugh even louder.

"Shut up and drive, Edward!" Emmett shot at me.

"Hey, I love that song," Jasper joked.

I shook my head again and parked the golf cart near the next hole. I hopped out and grabbed a club from the bag beside Emmett as he shot me a glare.

"Dude, help me," Emmett pleaded.

I chuckled again. "Come on, man. It's Jasper's bachelor party. And this is what he wants to do. You got to do your thing on your day, alright? So stop being so selfish."

"You know what? I don't need your little philosophical bull crap, Edward, okay? All I want is for my soon to be brother-in-law to get fucking wasted…and have girls rubbing all up on him…" he trailed off, getting a little too excited and flinging his arms around as bystanders nearby started to stare at him. His voice grew increasingly louder with each word.

"I don't think Alice would approve," I bit back, trying hard to fight the smile threatening to form on my lips.

Emmett sighed, exasperated, just as Jasper walked over to us, holding his own golf club in hand.

"Come on, Em. Why go to a dirty, sweaty strip club when we get to spend all day out in the open? And then later tonight we get to go see our girls," Jasper said.

Emmett's faced brightened immensely. "We get to go see the girls later? I thought that was, like…forbidden or some shit."

"No you idiot," I retorted. "You're thinking about the fact that the groom can't see the bride before the wedding. The wedding's four days away. Plus, we can see our girls anytime we want. We're already married to them."

Emmett looked at me for a few seconds as what I just said sunk in. He simply shook his head and shrugged. "Whatever. As long as I get to see my Rosalie tonight, I'm good."

I patted Emmett on the back and handed him a club. "That's the spirit," I teased. "You're up, big bro. Good luck."

"Luck is for losers, dude. I am all skill," he said, flexing his arms and then kissing his biceps.

"He needs help," Jasper said to me in a low voice as Emmett walked a few feet away from us.

I exhaled a heavy breath and shook my head. "He told me Rosalie's time of month just passed, so he hasn't gotten laid in about a week."

"He told you that?" Jasper asked, looking a little disgusted.

I nodded, glancing at him. "Yea, Emmett's verbal filter is non-existent when he isn't getting any."

Jasper chuckled and shook his head. "You know what? That explains a lot."

"You guys, it went in!" Emmett yelled at us triumphantly, pointing to the hole that the golf ball had just rolled into.

And because I was that immature, and because being with Emmett and Jasper made me nostalgic for our old high school days, I just had to mumble, "That's what she said."

But what surprised me the most—it really shouldn't have—was that Jasper and I said it at the exact same time and then shared a shocked glance before bursting out into laughter.

"Nothing ever changes, huh?" Jasper gasped between breaths, wiping the tears away from his eyes.

"Fortunately, no," I replied, my laughter finally subsiding.

"You guys, look at that squirrel! It's huge!" Emmett suddenly called.

Jasper and I both watched, amused, as Emmett followed a particularly large squirrel as it roamed around the golf course.

"And Emmett will forever be…"

"Emmett," I finished for him, nodding my affirmation.

We walked over to Emmett and finally got his attention off of the animal long enough to finish our rounds. We went to the bar that they had at the country club and had a few beers, just so Emmett wouldn't harbor any hard feelings.

Around four, we headed back home to get ready for the cruise later that night. I took a shower, tamed my hair the best I could, and then got dressed—black slacks with a dark grey dress shirt rolled up to my elbows. I wanted to look my best for Bella tonight.

There was a knock on the door and after I called out for whomever it was to enter, Esme walked in.

"Hey," I smiled, surprised. "You're home early." I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her in a tight huge.

"It wasn't a very busy day," she replied, squeezing me gently before I finally pulled away.

She smiled up at me and straightened the collar of my shirt before brushing my hair back gently with her hand, much like she did when I was a child. My eyes drifted closed of their own volition.

"Have fun tonight," she murmured after a few moments.

I opened my eyes and looked at her. "You sure you and Dad don't want to come?" I asked.

She smiled at me wistfully. "No, you all go have fun. Your father has something planned for me tonight anyways."

I smiled wider and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Alright, Mom. I love you," I said softly, leaning in to hug her again. In that moment, I understood what Bella had meant—my mother's eyes held so much love and strength and truth…it was just wrong to lie to her. We would definitely have to figure out a way to tell them everything that had happened between us these last few months.

"I love you too, sweetheart," she whispered, pulling away and placing her hand on the side of my face. "Go on now. You don't want to be late."

I nodded and kissed the side of her head before walking out of the bedroom and down the stairs where Jasper and Emmett were putting on their shoes.

"Be good tonight, gentleman," Esme called from the upstairs railing.

"I don't know, Mom. All sense of gentlemanly conduct disappears when I see Rosalie in a tight little dress," Emmett responded, smiling his wide, dimple-faced smile.

Jasper and I could hardly contain our laughter when Esme's smile turned into a full on glare.

"I'll watch him, Mom, I promise," I chimed in, not sure what would happen if nobody intervened.

"Kiss ass," Emmett grumbled, earning another scowl from Esme.

Emmett apologized profusely and managed to put the smile back on Esme's face before we headed out to his hummer. The cruise began at seven p.m. and it was a quarter to six when we pulled up to the parking lot near the ocean. We all hopped out and walked over to the dock until we reached the correct ship at the very end. It was pretty large for a nightly cruise ship, but hardly big enough for more than fifty people.

The three of us gave our names to the man waiting out front with a list before we boarded the ship. Emmett got out his phone and texted Rosalie to let her know we had arrived so they could bring Alice to the front of the boat right when it set sail.

Fifteen minutes later, we were pulling away from the docks and leaning against the railing at the front of the boat, watching the water beneath us become rippled from the ship.

"I don't get why you guys are so adamant about looking over the railing. We could fall in," we suddenly heard Alice warn as footsteps approached us from behind.

I smirked and glanced at Jasper, who was also smiling and looking down at the ocean.

"Besides, look, these people are already here," Alice continued, obviously referring to us.

"We don't mind if you join us, little lady," Jasper drawled, making his accent heavier than usual. He didn't look away from the water, but he chuckled softly.

"Jasper?" Alice called out disbelievingly.

"You don't recognize him from behind, Alice?" I teased.

"Odd," Emmett added playfully.

"What are you guys doing here?" she gushed as the three of us finally turned around.

"Surprise, sweetheart," Jasper said as Alice ran to him and leaped into his arms, peppering his face with kisses and causing Emmett and I to groan in disgust.

"Bella and I wanted to surprise you, Alice," Rosalie explained. "You didn't really think we'd be spending five hours on this ship together, just the three of us, did you?" she asked incredulously.

Alice hugged Jasper tighter and laughed. "Yes, but thank God we aren't. I can't even stand five _minutes_ with you, Rosalie," she answered, causing Rosalie's face to fall immensely.

"I'm kidding," Alice laughed, running over to Bella and Rosalie and hugging them both tightly. "Thank you. You guys are the best." She squeezed them tighter and then let go and hurried back to Jasper's side.

"Go, enjoy the night," Bella instructed, shooing them away playfully.

"See you guys at midnight," Jasper said to us, grabbing Alice's hand and leading her down the stairs to where the little bar was on the ship.

"Are you hungry, Em?" Rosalie asked him.

Emmett smiled hugely and nodded. "Baby, you know me so well," he said, walking over to her and wrapping his arm around her waist. They said 'goodbye' to us before disappearing to the lower level where the restaurant was also located.

I finally looked at Bella and saw that she was watching me. I smiled slightly.

"Would you like to come look at the ocean with me?" I asked her softly,

"Baby, you know me so well," she teased, mimicking Emmett's words and smiling as she walked over and stood beside me at the railing.

I chuckled and shifted so that I was standing behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and kissing her hair. We both watched the ocean beneath us and the stars above us, seemingly lost in thought.

"It's beautiful tonight," she murmured, leaning back against me and resting her head on my shoulder.

"It is," I agreed, looking down at her and noticing the sexy as hell black cocktail dress she had on. "You're such a little tease," I accused her playfully.

"How am I a tease?" she demanded, laughing.

"Please. Don't tell me you don't know how sexy you look in that dress right now."

She laughed again and leaned further into me, pressing her back against me. I knew she could feel how excited I was and I immediately grasped her hips tighter and pulled her back into me firmer. She moaned quietly and let out a small sigh.

Wordlessly, I trailed my hand down her thigh and under her dress until it reached her wet panties. I pushed them aside quickly and pressed my fingers to her center.

"Edward," she gasped, grabbing my forearm to stop my movements. "Not here. People will see."

I chuckled and looked around. It was deserted out here since it was dinner time and most people were down on the lower level eating.

"Relax, love, there's no one here," I whispered, pressing my lips just below her ear as one of my fingers entered her.

She gasped again, but this time in pleasure, as my finger began moving in and out of her at a quick pace. I made sure that my thumb rubbed against her clit firmly so that she would reach her climax fast and hard.

Bella had yet to release my forearm. In fact, she held onto it even tighter as I continued my ministrations. I was finally rewarded a few minutes later when she let out a breathy moan and came on my fingers. I slowed my movements until I knew she was spent and then I retracted my hand from under her dress.

She turned around and leaned back against the railing, smiling lazily at me, as I smoothed down the bottom of her dress.

"That was nice," she murmured, obviously still in a post-orgasmic haze. "Thank you."

"Anytime," I whispered, leaning in to press my lips gently to hers. Bella deepened the kiss, placing her hand on the back of my neck and pulling me closer. I was thinking about different places on the ship where we could go for some alone time, when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.

Bella pulled back and looked at me, but I simply shook my head and leaned back into her as the vibrating persisted. She pulled away again.

"Edward, you're phone," she said.

I sighed, not wanting to be interrupted by anything right now. "It's probably just Emmett or something, calling to tell us that he saw dolphins in the water or some shit. I don't need that. I just need you," I murmured, pressing my lips to hers once more.

She laughed breathlessly and kissed me back as the vibrating finally subsided. Our lips continued moving against one another's and less than a minute later, my phone beeped, signifying a new voicemail message. I decided that whoever it was, I could call back later. It could always be someone from work, but I had told them before I left to allow me at least twenty four hours to return any messages. Right now, all I wanted was to be with Bella.

Our frantic kisses slowed down to gentle pecks as the opening of a familiar song began playing from the speakers that were located all along the ship.

_I've got sunshine_

_On a cloudy day_

_When it's cold outside_

_I've got the month of May…_

I pulled away from Bella and smiled down at her. She smiled back, but when she realized what I wanted from her, her smile fell and she shook her head.

"No," she stated firmly. "I'm not dancing with you."

Sometimes it scared me how she knew me so well.

"Come on, it's our song," I reasoned.

"Since when is 'My Girl' our song?" she asked incredulously.

"Since every time I hear it, I think of you," I replied softly.

Her eyes widened slightly and she stared at me for a few seconds before finally taking my hand and allowing me to lead her to the center of the boat.

_Well, I guess you'll say_

_What can make me feel this way?_

_My girl_

_Talkin' 'bout my girl_

_My girl_

"You're blushing," I said, stroking her cheek with my thumb and smiling softly as we continued swaying to the music.

"It's nothing new," she whispered.

_I've got so much honey_

_The bees envy me_

_I've got a sweeter song_

_Than the birds in the trees_

_Well, I guess you'll say_

_What can make me feel this way?_

_My girl_

_Talkin' 'bout my girl_

_My girl_

"You know, even when we were kids, I had the biggest crush on you," I admitted.

"You did?" Bella asked, shocked.

I nodded, my hands on her waist tightening ever so slightly as her hands worked their way into my hair and began massaging gently.

"Yea. You were just so…perfect. Smart…and beautiful…and funny," I listed off quietly. "I never thought you'd want me."

"I always want you," she said quietly.

I stared intensely into her eyes and finally nodded. "I always want you, too," I whispered, pressing my lips to hers once more.

_I don't need no money_

_Fortune or fame_

_I've got all the riches, baby_

_One man can claim_

_Well, I guess you'll say_

_What can make me feel this way?_

_My girl_

_Talkin' 'bout my girl_

_My girl_

Once the song came to a close, Bella and I stood there, arms around each other, kissing like a couple of teenagers until our stomachs growled, reminding us that we were both extremely hungry. We joined Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper in the restaurant for dinner and drinks and spent the rest of the evening with them, having light and easy-going conversation.

Finally, at midnight, the ship returned to the dock and we were all dead on our feet as we walked to our respective vehicles. Alice and Jasper decided to drive the car the girls had come in while Bella, Emmett, Rosalie, and I rode back in the car that the guys had taken.

I carried Bella into the house—despite her protests—because I could tell she was slowly falling asleep. When I sat her on the bed, I helped her take her dress off and changed her into her pajamas since she was so tired. Once I had her tucked in, I changed into my own pajamas, brushed my teeth, and then climbed into bed beside my angel and wrapped my arm around her, holding her close to me.

XxXxX

I awoke early the next morning, my throat dying of thirst. I headed downstairs into the kitchen for a glass of water as everyone was finishing up breakfast and heading to work. Alice was the only one staying home since Rosalie offered to watch the store for her so she could rest. Jasper would have stayed home as well, but he was teaching summer school at the university and it was finals week.

After talking to my family for a bit and then seeing them out, I headed back upstairs and climbed into bed. I was wide awake by that point and thankfully Bella awoke less an hour later. I couldn't stop myself from making love to her when she woke up because Bella always looked so beautiful in the mornings. After our morning session, we decided to get dressed and go out for the day since Alice always slept in when she went to bed so late the previous night.

We decided to walk around the busy streets of Seattle and spent most of the day window shopping and enjoying each other's company. When lunchtime rolled around, we headed to a nice little restaurant and called Alice to see if she wanted to join us. However, she didn't answer when we called the lake house and her cell phone was off.

"Damn, that girl is really sleeping in today," Bella said, shaking her head and placing her phone back in her purse. "Maybe Jasper kept her up all night," she added, opening her menu and looking over the choices.

I looked up at her from my own menu and glared. "Did you really just say that?" I asked, tired of hearing about my little sister's sexual escapades.

She looked up at me, feigning innocence. "Oh, was that weird to say?"

I shook my head and chuckled darkly, returning my attention back to my menu. "Touché, Swan. We'll see who has the last laugh."

"Is that a challenge?" she asked flirtatiously. Suddenly, I felt her foot slide up my calf and I looked up at her, somewhat surprised by her forwardness.

"You're a bad girl," I said, my voice low as I reached under the table and grabbed her foot, causing her to giggle softly.

My phone vibrated in my jacket pocket and I let out a heavy breath, deciding I might as well answer it. It might have been Alice.

I looked at Bella and smiled apologetically, but she simply waved me off before looking back down at her menu and retracting her foot.

I looked down at my phone and saw that it was one of my colleagues calling me. With another sigh, I answered the phone and greeted him. He was one of the assistant paralegals who had a question about one of our newer cases. Thankfully, the conversation only lasted a few moments and I got him the information he needed just before our waiter arrived.

After we ordered our food and gave the waiter our menus, I looked down at my phone again and decided I might as well check my voicemail from last night since I still hadn't tended to it. First, I looked at my missed calls and saw that the call last night had come from Felix. I swallowed hard and furrowed my eyebrows in confusion as I dialed my voicemail and waited.

"_You have one unheard message," _my voicemail said.

I pressed one.

"_First unheard message."_

Beep.

"_Hey, Edward, it's Felix. Sorry for calling so late, I just wanted to give you and Bella a heads up. I mailed the divorce papers shortly after our last conversation and asked the post office in Seattle to let me know when they arrived. I got the call in today, and the papers should arrive at the house sometime tomorrow afternoon. Call me if you have any questions. I'll talk to you soon. Take care."_

Beep.

"_To delete this message, press seven, to save it, press—"_

I quickly cut off my voicemail and pressed seven—probably a little too hard—before looking down at my phone, somewhat stunned. I hadn't completely forgotten about the divorce papers, but after everything that had happened between us, it became completely impossible to even fathom the idea that Bella and I were ever getting a divorce. I subconsciously blocked it from my mind.

At first I hadn't told Bella about the divorce papers coming in simply because I wanted to see where things went with us. But then things changed—_we_ changed—and divorce papers…divorce in general…were completely wiped from my mind.

But Felix had said tomorrow afternoon, which meant we still had another day. I could tell Bella today and then…

_Oh fuck._

Tomorrow afternoon _was_ today. Felix had called last night. And I had been dumb enough to ignore the call.

Shit.

"Edward?"

I looked up as Bella's worried voice snapped me back to the present. She was watching me with a confused expression on her face.

I had to tell her.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yea," I lied. "I'm fine."

After lunch. I would tell her after lunch.

She didn't seem to buy my lie, but thankfully she let it go. Shortly after, our food arrived and we engaged in easy conversation. After paying the bill, we left the restaurant and decided to head home since it was close to three and we had been out all day.

The ride home was extremely quiet. I was going through the conversation we would have in my mind and in every scenario, Bella was pissed. Very, very pissed.

She had every right.

I pulled Carlisle's car into the garage—as he told me to do whenever he leant us his car—and I led Bella into the lake house, still gearing myself up for the conversation ahead.

"Alice?" Bella called out.

_Yes, let's talk to Alice. Buy me some more time._

We walked into the kitchen and saw Alice sitting on a barstool at the kitchen counter, sipping from a cup of what looked like hot tea and staring blankly ahead at nothing in particular.

"Hey, where have you been all day?" Bella asked, walking over to stand beside her. "We called to invite you to lunch."

"I was busy," Alice replied quietly, almost robotically, as she continued staring ahead of her, not blinking.

"You okay, Alice?" I asked her worriedly, going to stand across from her on the other side of the counter. She continued to stare right past me.

"Yes," she replied curtly. "I'm just tired." She hopped off the barstool and walked over to the sink, placing her cup in there and lingering a little longer than necessary with her back to us.

"Alice, are you sure you're okay?" Bella asked.

Alice finally turned around and smiled at us. It seemed forced.

"Yea," she replied. "I'm just going to go take a nap."

Bella and I nodded, both equally confused, as Alice walked past us and toward the living room.

"Oh!" she suddenly gasped, whirling around and walking over to the kitchen table where there was a huge stack of magazines and envelopes scattered about.

Bella and I watched as Alice swiftly began throwing magazines and envelopes onto the floor, only to reveal a large manila folder underneath the mess. She finally looked up at us and smiled mockingly. "You're divorce papers came today," she said, picking up the folder and shoving it into Bella's chest before walking out of the kitchen.

My jaw went slack as I stared at Bella, who was staring intently at the folder in her hands. I walked around the kitchen counter and stood in front of her, watching for any sort of reaction. After a few moments, she finally looked up from the folder, her eyes wide.

"Edward?" she rasped out.

I shook my head, completely at a loss of what to say or do. "Bella…I…"

"Alice knows," she whispered, looking back down at the folder with a look of horror on her face. I swallowed hard and nodded, even though she couldn't see me.

And in that moment I realized it didn't matter that Bella and I weren't getting a divorce anymore, because somehow Alice had seen the papers and now she knew.

Alice knew.

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**Author's Note: ****Okay, so I brought the angst back. It had to happen eventually, but at least now those divorce papers—that we have all been anxiously awaiting—have finally arrived. Next chapter will begin in Alice's POV so some things get cleared up. Thanks so much for reading!**


	21. Strangers

**_Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer._**

**Author's Note****: As always, your guys' support blows me away. You're the reason this story has made it this far and I love you guys for it. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to respond to your reviews this time around, but please believe me when I say that I read and adore every single one. They mean more to me than you'll ever know. Enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

_**Alice POV**_

Junk. Junk. Junk. Magazine. Phone bill. Junk. Junk. Electricity bill. Newsletter. Junk.

With a heavy sigh, I tossed all of the mail onto the kitchen table. After waking up rather late and seeing that Bella and Edward were gone, I took a quick drive to mine and Jasper's house and checked the mail since we hadn't done so in the last few weeks that we had been at the lake house. Esme and Carlisle were lucky enough to have all of their mail forwarded to the lake house when they stayed for an extended period of time and since I was the only one home, I checked the mail for them.

When I placed all of the mail onto the table, I was left with a large manila folder in my hands that read:

_From the Law Offices of Timmons and Jones_

It was addressed to Edward and Bella. Huh. Why was Edward receiving mail from another law firm? I knew he was working for a criminal law firm called Volturi, Inc, so I was wondering if perhaps he had switched firms. But then why was Bella's name on the folder as well?

With a heavy sigh and shrug, I decided it wasn't any of my business. Maybe later on when I handed Edward and Bella the folder, I could ask why they were receiving papers from a firm that wasn't Edwards.

As I was putting the manila folder on the table, I noticed that the seal flap on the folder was coming off. The rod that was supposed to hold the flap in place seemed to have broken off—presumably when the folder was being shipped and handled—and the adhesive was wearing off. I didn't want what was inside of the folder to fall out and have Edward and Bella lose important information, so I picked up the folder and headed to the den where I knew Carlisle kept his office supplies—I figured I could just tape down the flap with some scotch tape.

I set the manila folder down on the small desk in the den and sat in the black office chair. I opened a couple of drawers and found a ruler, eraser, and glue, but no scotch tape. With a heavy sigh, I decided to go upstairs to mine and Jasper's room, knowing he always had office supplies for his job as a college professor.

I walked into our room and winced when I realized I hadn't even made the bed yet and the sheets were scattered about, half on the floor and half on the bed. I decided to ignore it for now and went to the bedside table Jasper kept his things in. He had a few boxes of unopened scotch tape inside, so I grabbed one and closed the drawer before turning back around and making my way to the door.

I was stupidly looking down at the box of scotch tape, trying to get it open, as I made my way down the stairs. One of my feet, instead of landing on the next step, grazed past it to the step after, causing me to lose my balance. I felt myself falling forward and my first reaction was to grab onto the railing.

Fortunately, I managed to stay upright and not fall on my head—I would have broken my neck no doubt. However, I looked down at the foot of the stairs and saw that the manila folder was now on the ground with half of the papers that were inside scattered about on the floor.

"Shit," I hissed as I hurriedly, yet carefully, walked the remaining steps to where the papers were on the ground. I groaned when I realized that the papers had probably been in a specific order and I had now messed it up.

I decided to at least have all the papers facing the right direction, so I kneeled down on the ground and began picking up all of the papers and stacking them one on top of the other. I was in the process of shuffling them all together so they were facing the same direction, when a word caught my eye.

Divorce.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. Edward worked in criminal law, not divorce. But then I thought back to how Bella's name was on the envelope as well and my eyes widened. It couldn't be.

I couldn't stop my eyes as they traveled down a few lines until I saw the names Edward Cullen and Bella Swan in one of the longer paragraphs. I didn't read the full paragraph—I didn't want to—but certain words popped out at me.

Not a reconcilable marriage.

Irresolvable issues.

March.

The paper stated that Bella and Edward had requested a divorce at the end of March. It was now the beginning of July. That meant they hadn't been together for the last four months. But how could that be? They were here…they were together…they were married.

Not a reconcilable marriage.

Irresolvable issues.

What did this all _mean_?

I slowly finished gathering all of the papers together and placed them back into the folder. I was in a haze, my mind blank, as I ripped a few pieces of tape and secured the seal flap back into place. I got up off the ground and made my way back into the kitchen.

The folder felt heavy in my hand and I didn't like holding it, so I slammed it onto the kitchen table and grabbed as much of the junk mail and magazines and newsletters as I could and placed them on top of it. I didn't even want to know it was there.

I made myself a cup of tea, trying not to think about what I had just discovered. I felt strange, like I was in some kind of weird trance. I didn't know what to think or feel or even do.

As I sat on a barstool at the kitchen counter contemplating, the house phone rang. I looked up to where it was sitting on the granite countertop by the refrigerator, but I couldn't bring myself to get up and answer it. So I just sat there and sipped my tea for the next couple of hours.

Not a reconcilable marriage.

Irresolvable issues.

Divorce.

XxXxX

I heard the garage door open, but I didn't move from my spot. I didn't move when Bella and Edward walked in. I didn't move when Bella greeted me. I didn't move when they asked me if I was okay. I remembered speaking to them, but my mind was in such a haze that I wasn't even sure what I said. My only thought was getting the hell out of there. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do with this newfound information, so I rinsed my cup in the sink and started to walk out of the kitchen.

For the last few hours, I hadn't felt anything. But suddenly, the anger and betrayal I felt bubbled up inside me and I swiftly turned around, and in the most condescending way possible, I made Bella and Edward aware of the fact that their secret was out.

I didn't even stick around after I shoved the folder into Bella's hands and exited the kitchen. I didn't need to. There was nothing left to say. There were so many things I wanted to know, but I couldn't bring myself to even be in the same room as them at that moment. I needed to be away. Far far away.

Alone with my thoughts and lying on my still unmade bed up in mine and Jasper's room, I allowed the hurt that had been masked by my anger come to the surface. Tears streamed down my face as I silently cried. I wasn't sure why I was crying—I wasn't the one getting a divorce—but that didn't stop my tears.

_**Bella POV**_

Alright…okay…breath…just breathe.

_Fuck_.

How did Alice know these were our divorce papers? Better yet, what were they doing here?

I remembered having a quick discussion with Felix before we left to come to Seattle and he had mentioned that Edward suggested having the papers mailed to the lake house since they had to be done in a certain time frame and we wouldn't be home. But then I remembered him saying he would _call_…to _remind_ us. Surprisingly, I had forgotten he was even supposed to call. I had forgotten we were ever getting a divorce.

But why hadn't Felix _called_?

I finally looked up at Edward, realizing I had been staring down at the folder in my hands for what felt like an eternity. He was watching me intently, his brow creased with worry.

"Why are these here?" I whispered.

Edward swallowed a giant lump in his throat and averted his gaze to the folder in my hands. "Felix said he was going to send them to the lake house," he murmured quietly, refusing to make eye contact with me. "He said he told you before we left—"

"He did," I interrupted. "But he also said he'd call."

Edward seemed to wince slightly at my words and I wasn't sure why. I wasn't using a harsh tone; in fact, I was speaking so softly that I was surprised he even heard me.

"And he did," Edward finally whispered, moving his eyes up to meet mine once more.

I felt my own eyes widened slightly and my breath catch as what he had just said sunk in. I didn't remember a call…

Edward had taken to studying his shoes and was once again avoiding looking at me.

"Edward?" I said quietly, not sure what was going on. He didn't look up. "Edward," I said again, firmer this time.

His head snapped up and it seemed like he was looking at the collar of my shirt to avoid looking me in the eye. "What, Bella?" he whispered brokenly. "What do you want me to say? That Felix called me and I kept it from you because I didn't want you to sign the papers? That he called last night to remind me and I listened to his message while we were sitting at _breakfast_? You were right in front of me, and I kept it from you. Is that what you want to hear, Bella? Because that's exactly what happened. That's it," he finished just as quietly as he had started, still not looking at me. I let what he had just said process for a minute.

Felix had called about the divorce papers and Edward hadn't told me. Felix had called again last night and left a message…and Edward hadn't told me.

"When did he call?" I finally managed to ask.

"Which time?" he rasped out, once again taking to staring down at his shoes.

"The first time. When he first called. When was it?"

He let out a heavy breath and I could tell he was stalling. "Shit, I don't know. The first…second week we were here?" he shrugged.

"And you didn't tell me." It wasn't a question.

"No," he replied somberly.

"Because you didn't want me to sign them." Again, not a question.

"Yes."

I sighed and brushed passed him and into the living room. After a few moments, I heard his footsteps right behind me.

"Fuck, Bella, what are you doing?" he asked, sounding worried and exasperated.

I whipped around and stared him square in the eye. "Edward, why would you keep this from me? What are we supposed to do now? Alice knows. She _knows_," I said, raising my voice a bit, but not loud enough that Alice would hear—wherever she was.

"Don't you think I know that? Fuck." He ran a hand through his hair roughly before fixing his gaze on me again. "So what, if I had told you, this wouldn't have happened?" he asked incredulously.

"No, it wouldn't have. Because I would have remembered they were coming. I would have picked up my phone. I told you last night to answer it," I pointed out, becoming angrier, but making sure not to speak above a whisper-yell.

"Well, guess what, Bella? I haven't been spending the last couple of weeks keeping track of divorce papers. I've been trying to enjoy the time I have with my _wife_," he shot back, careful to keep his voice low as well.

I let out a heavy breath, hating that we were arguing. "What are we going to do?" I asked, my voice shaking slightly.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "Bella—"

"You should have told me," I interjected. "Even if it wouldn't have made a difference, you shouldn't have kept something like this from me."

"I know, but, Bella, at the time all I was thinking about was…trying to find _some way_ to fix us when it seemed like there was no hope. I had no choice," he whispered, defeated. "I honestly thought that if you knew the divorce papers were coming…that if you knew you could finally finish what we had…then I had no chance of getting you back. And then when things got better with us, I just forgot about them altogether because…I don't know…I guess they weren't important anymore. Divorce was the furthest thing from my mind." He paused and glanced at the wall behind me as he added softly, "I'm sorry for what I did, I should have told you."

I shook my head, taking a step toward him. "Edward, it wouldn't have made a difference if I knew those papers were coming. It wouldn't have changed how I feel about you…and it wouldn't have changed how far we've come. It changes nothing," I murmured. "I just wish I knew…so that I could have prepared for this."

He nodded and took a step toward me, but I took one back. "I can't," I whispered regretfully, meeting his confused and hurt eyes. "I need some space right now. And I need to talk to Alice."

"We both do," he pointed out.

I sighed. "I know, I just…can I talk to her alone first? Please?" I pleaded hopefully.

He let out a heavy breath. "Fine," he sighed.

"You and I…we can talk tonight, okay?" I assured him gently.

He furrowed his eyebrows and looked down at the ground, but nodded nonetheless. I sighed and nodded as well as I made to walk past him, but he grabbed my arm and before I knew it, his lips were crashing down on mine.

"I love you," he breathed against my mouth. I was panting heavily when he finally pulled away and I just stared at him for a moment.

"I know," I replied softly. I offered him a small smile before walking past him and up the stairs.

I had to talk to Alice.

I walked up the stairs and down the short hallway to her and Jasper's room; as expected, the door was closed. I softly grabbed the doorknob, but sure enough it was locked. With a heavy sigh, I lightly knocked on the door.

"Alice, I know I am the last person you want to talk to right now, but please open the door," I called out.

Silence.

"Alice, please," I begged, my voice breaking softly as tears suddenly filled my eyes. "Please," I whispered again, placing my hand on the door and resting my forehead against it. Abruptly, the door was pulled open and Alice stood there, panting heavily, her eyes red and puffy—she had been crying.

"Alice," I said after a moment of intense silence and staring.

"Bella," she acknowledged coldly. Her voice sounded different, distant…wrong.

I swallowed an enormous lump in my throat. "Can I talk…I mean, can we just t-talk?" I stammered out nervously. I took a deep breath and met Alice's stare head on.

"About what?" she asked, her voice eerily calm.

I gave her an incredulous look. "You know what," I said a little harsher than intended.

She shook her head and smiled dryly. "Bella, we haven't really talked in three years. Why should we start now?" she questioned cryptically.

I opened my mouth in confusion, ready to respond, but before I could say anything, she shut the door and left me gaping in the hallway.

_We haven't really talked in three years._

Alice's eerie voice echoed in my head as I finally stepped away from the door and made my way to mine and Edward's bedroom. Stiffly, I climbed into bed and lay down as I tried to make sense of Alice's words.

_We haven't really talked in three years._

We hadn't talked in three years? What was she talking about? We spoke on the phone almost every night ever since Edward and I moved to New York. Okay, so the phone calls had decreased to maybe once or twice a week over the last couple of years, but that was because real life got in the way.

And then there was the strangely calm demeanor she had put on for me. It was so unlike Alice that it was scary. I knew she had been crying, but obviously she was trying to hide her emotions from me. I couldn't handle that, though. I needed to know what she was feeling and I needed her to know what was really going on. It had to make a difference that Edward and I weren't getting a divorce anymore…didn't it?

But I knew deep down that that wasn't the real issue. The real issue was that Edward and I had kept something like this from Alice…from everyone. There was nobody to blame but ourselves.

All of the exhaustion from the day had finally caught up to me, and I allowed sleep to overtake me as I lay there in bed. I wasn't sure how long I had been sleeping, but when I finally opened my eyes, I knew it must have been at least a couple of hours because I looked out the window and noticed that it was now dark outside.

Voices began flitting up from downstairs. I heard Rosalie come home…and then Emmett…and Esme…and finally Carlisle and Jasper. I vaguely heard Rosalie calling Alice and I down for dinner and Alice's door opening. I heard her footsteps as she made her way down the stairs, but I didn't budge. I stayed where I was and stared blankly at the ceiling.

A few moments later, Rosalie walked into the bedroom and stood by the bed, placing her hands on her hips. "What the hell, Bella? I know you heard me, so don't even pretend you didn't."

"Alice knows," I croaked out, my voice still dry from sleep.

Rosalie's eyes widened immediately and she quickly dropped her hands to her side. "What? You mean about the divorce?" she asked, shocked.

I nodded.

"How? Did you tell her?"

"No, she found the papers," I whispered, sitting up and leaning against the headboard.

"What papers?"

"Divorce papers," I replied quietly. I saw Rosalie's confused look and I knew she was going to ask why the divorce papers were here, but I didn't want to get into that now. "I'll explain later," I said quickly. She fixed me with a hard glare, but let out a heavy breath and nodded, relenting. I patted the spot next to me and she sat down.

"Edward's worried about you," she murmured after a moment of silence.

My head snapped to her, confused. "What? Why?"

She shrugged and looked down at her lap. "He said he came in to check on you three times, but you were fast asleep. I didn't understand why he was so worried, but I guess I do now."

I nodded, berating myself for making Edward worry about me when we had more important things to be worrying about.

"Are you going to come down for dinner?" Rosalie asked me, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I looked at her and nodded. "Yea…yea, of course."

I got off the bed and followed Rosalie down to the dining room where the rest of the family was placing food on the table. I noticed immediately that Alice and Edward weren't there.

"Bella, did you enjoy your beauty sleep?" Jasper teased me.

I managed a weak laugh and nodded. "Yea, um, where are Edward and Alice?" I asked as casually as I could.

"Oh, they're in the kitchen," he shrugged. "I think Edward pissed her off or something." Jasper laughed quietly, but I couldn't bring myself to join him. I deftly walked past him and into the kitchen where I spotted Edward and Alice standing across from each other.

"I said I don't want to talk to you, Edward," Alice was saying.

"Alice…" Edward said dejectedly. "You need to let us explain."

Alice was facing the direction of the doorway and Edward's back was to me, so when Alice caught me spying, I knew the conversation was over.

"Your wife's here," she said sarcastically, walking past Edward and then me as she grabbed the bottle of wine off the counter.

I watched her go before turning to look at Edward. My heart broke for him as he stood there, watching me with an uncertain expression on his face. Alice was pushing him away…and I had pushed him away earlier when he wanted to talk to me.

Before I could even give it a second thought, I moved all the way across the kitchen to Edward, placed my hand on the back of his neck, and pulled his lips down to meet mine in a firm and passionate kiss.

Edward responded quickly, grabbing my waist and pulling me closer to him, eliciting a low moan to escape from my mouth. I pulled away just far enough so that I could still feel his breath on my lips.

"I love you," I whispered fiercely, because in that one weak moment, I knew that Edward needed the reassurance that I wasn't going anywhere. That we would get through this together.

His eyes were closed and his jaw was clenched as he rested his forehead against mine, but he nodded, and I knew that he understood the deeper meaning behind my simple words.

We finally extracted ourselves from the kitchen and joined the rest of the family in the dining room. I seated myself between Edward and Rosalie, Alice sitting across the table from me. I stared at her for a couple of minutes, but when I realized that she wasn't going to look at me, I gave up.

No one seemed to notice Alice's aloofness during dinner because conversation flowed easily and naturally around the table, just like any other night. Every now and then I would catch Alice's eye, but then she'd look away quickly and show no emotion whatsoever. It would be better if she would at least yell at me, tell me off—_something_. But she didn't give me one damn thing. After a while, she wouldn't even look at me anymore. Not a glance, not even a glare. Nothing.

I did notice that she was drinking glass after glass of wine like it was going out of style. It wasn't until Esme started talking about the wedding that things began spiraling down.

"Can you believe that in less than one week you're going to be married, Alice?" Esme asked her, smiling widely.

Alice looked up at her mother and smiled in return. "I know, I can't wait," she replied, turning to give Jasper a long, loving glance.

"Oh, you'll be so happy. Have your siblings given you any advice?" Esme teased. It was an innocent joke, but Alice did not take it lightly.

"No, they haven't," she answered, turning to look at me. "Got any advice, Bella? I mean, since you and Edward have such an…_amazing_ marriage." Sarcasm dripped from her every tone and I prayed that no one else would notice.

My mouth fell open slightly as I stared at her, shocked that she was really going to do this.

"Nothing?" Alice quipped. She shrugged and slouched back in her chair. "Figures."

"I'm sure Bella and Edward have some excellent advice," Carlisle countered, smiling at us blissfully. "Just look at them, they've been happily married for the last three years."

Alice let out a very un-ladylike snort as she stabbed her fork into her food with a little too much force. "Right," she quipped. "Good one, dad."

"Alice, would you like some water?" Rosalie offered quickly.

Alice shook her head and picked up her wine glass, tipping it towards her. "No thanks, I'm good," she said before taking a long swig.

"Alice, slow down," Esme chastised teasingly. "I know you're stressed out about the wedding, but do you really want to be hungover during your rehearsal dinner tomorrow?"

Alice let out a long sigh and shook her head. "No, of course not," she replied.

"Bella, can you pass me the water please?" Edward asked me gently. I grabbed the water glass on table carefully and handed it to him. "Thank you," he whispered, kissing my cheek softly.

Alice started laughing and we all turned to look at her questioningly, but I noticed that she was watching Edward and me.

"What?" I asked her cautiously.

"What was that?" she asked, smiling goofily, seemingly amused by something.

"What was what?" I questioned her, baffled.

"That," she said, motioning between Edward and me. "With the water glass…and the kissing…I mean, for two people who are getting a—"

"Ow!" Rosalie suddenly shrieked out, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and look at her worriedly.

"What is it?" Esme asked her, concerned.

"Nothing, nothing," she waved off. "Emmett's chair just went on my foot."

"It did?" Emmett asked her, looking horrified. "I'm so sorry, baby, I didn't see it. Does it hurt, let me look," he stammered out.

Rosalie waved him off when he tried bending down to examine her foot. "It's fine, Em, really," she said, looking at him pointedly and hoping he'd get the hint that it was merely a diversion.

I sent her a grateful look and thankfully Alice mellowed out for the rest of dinner. Jasper convinced her to switch to water and she did so without a fight. Alice didn't usually drink so much, but I had noticed she had been doing it a lot more since her wedding preparations had begun and I knew it was because she was stressed out.

But I still couldn't believe that she had almost drunkenly blurted out our secret for everyone to know. If Rosalie hadn't stopped her, who knows how the rest of the night would have turned out.

I helped Esme and Rosalie with the dishes while everyone else went into the living room to watch a movie. After about an hour or so, Carlisle and Esme called it a night and Rosalie and I were left in the kitchen, putting away the last of the dishes.

"Hey, is there any way you and Em can get Jasper out of the room so Edward and I can to talk to Alice?" I asked her as she closed the cabinet and wiped down the counters.

"Bella," she sighed once she finished, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at me regretfully. "Alice obviously isn't in the right state of mind to talk right now."

"I know, but what if she never is? I can't go on like this. I mean, who knows when she'll finally be ready to talk us?"

"Oh, no, I mean she's not in the right state of mind because she's a little tipsy right now and probably won't register anything you guys say," Rosalie explained.

"Oh," I replied, having not even thought about that. "I guess you're right," I said, sounding extremely unsure.

"Talk to her tomorrow."

"Before the rehearsal dinner?" I asked incredulously.

"Bella, the wedding is in three days. You have to clear this whole thing up before she walks down the aisle."

"I know that," I sighed. "I know, but she doesn't seem to want to talk to either of us. I mean, this is so unlike Alice. Usually _she_ is the one trying to get to the bottom of everything and figure stuff out. But right now she's just so…cold…and distant. It's scaring me."

"She probably just feels betrayed," Rosalie shrugged. "I mean, you guys have been best friends forever and you kept something like this from her. Not to mention that Edward is her older brother and she looks up to him more than he even knows. I don't blame her for shutting you guys out."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Gee, Rose, thanks," I snapped sarcastically.

"Hey, we've known each other long enough for you to know that I don't sugarcoat shit," she defended, holding up her hands in mock surrender. "Also," she started, dropping her hands by her side. "You need to tell everyone else, too. I don't know when you guys were planning on doing that, but I think you're only choice now is to come clean with everyone after you set things right with Alice."

"And if Alice doesn't let us set things right with her?" I asked her dejectedly.

Rosalie shrugged and sighed. "Well, then you always have me," she teased.

I rolled my eyes and playfully bumped her shoulder with mine. "I love you, Rose."

"I love you, too, Bella. And don't worry. Things _will_ work out. I know it."

"How do you know it?" I asked her, unconvinced.

"Because it just has to," she reasoned. "And if it doesn't, then I'll just _make_ everyone get along."

"You seem to think people are really scared of you," I joked.

Rosalie threw her head back and laughed loudly. "Oh, but they are, young Swan. They are. Goodnight," she said, kissing my cheek and walking out toward the living room.

"Night," I quietly called after her. A few minutes after I heard Rosalie and Emmett head upstairs, Edward walked into the kitchen.

"What are you doing, baby?" he asked tiredly, yawning as he walked over and placed his arms around my waist from behind.

"Nothing," I replied, shaking my head. "Is everyone asleep?"

"Yes," he whispered. "Are you ready for bed?"

"Mmhmm," I murmured.

"Rosalie's right, you know. Things will be okay. Let's just not think about it tonight, and tomorrow we'll talk to Alice," Edward reassured me softly.

"Eavesdropping were you?" I accused playfully.

"Hardly," he snorted. "You guys weren't being very quiet.

"Does that mean Alice and Jasper heard?" I asked, trying to mask the worry in my voice, though even I knew that some seeped through.

"No, everyone else is asleep, love," he said quietly. "Come on." He tugged on my hand and led me upstairs, into our room, and we slid into bed. We were both too tired to change into our pajamas, so we climbed under the covers and I pressed my back to Edward's chest. He put his arm around my waist and we fell asleep in each other's arms.

But the nightmares plagued me, making it impossible to have a restful sleep. The scenarios kept playing out one after another, each one worst than the one before. In every single one, however, there was one consistency—the family hated Edward and me for keeping such an enormous secret from them. I couldn't handle the shameful glares they were sending me in my dreams or the hateful words.

I found myself waking up with a start, panting for air and sweating immensely. I glanced at the clock on the nightstand and saw that it was barely three in the morning. I looked behind me at Edward's peaceful face and smiled slightly, hoping that he was having a restful sleep and not being bothered by the same nightmares that I had been facing.

Carefully, I slid out from under his arm and quietly made my way across the room and onto the balcony, closing the sliding glass door gently behind me. I made my way to the large cushioned lounge chair—the same one I had slept in the night after Edward and I had our first fight at the lake house.

I pulled the fleece blanket off the back of it and pulled it over myself as I lay back on the comfortable cushions, sighing contently and gazing up at the stars. It was peaceful out there…quiet. For a moment, I became lost in the darkness and forgot about all of my worries and all of my fears. For the first time since the divorce papers had turned up, I felt calm.

I wasn't sure how long I lay there staring up at the stars before the sliding glass doors opened and Edward stepped outside.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked me, his voice raspy with sleep as he walked over to the lounge chair.

I sat up and scooted forward, hinting at him to slide in beside me. He understood what I wanted and sat down behind me, pulling me back into his chest and between his open legs. I pulled the blanket over both of us and snuggled deeper into him. Now I felt whole.

"Did I wake you?" I asked guiltily.

"No, I just know when you're not with me," he whispered, placing a kiss on the top of my head.

"Tomorrow is going to be hard, Edward," I groaned, reminding him about the inevitable conversation we would have to have with Alice…and most likely the rest of the family.

"I know," he agreed softly. "But just for now…let's not think about it. I just want to sit here with you and look at the stars, okay?"

I turned my head and looked at him, hating the tiredness and defeat I saw in his eyes. All I could do was nod, place a gentle kiss to his neck, snuggle deeper against him, and sit there with him, looking up at the night sky. I was pretty certain that we were both waiting for a shooting star that we knew would never come.

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**Author's Note: I know Alice is going to get some serious hate for this chapter, but I hope you can all understand that things can't get fixed in one chapter; it just isn't realistic. I won't make the angst last long, though, I promise. Just a little heads up, we have about four chapters left including the epilogue—I know, sad :( It might turn into more, but as of now that is what I am predicting it will be. Thanks so much for reading! You guys are amazing.**


	22. Tire Swing Moments

**_Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer._**

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for the support and heartfelt reviews. You guys made this story possible, and I can't thank you enough. This chapter is pretty loaded, so I hope you enjoy it :)**

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_**Edward POV**_

It wasn't easy to pretend that Alice wasn't completely avoiding me. She didn't look my way during breakfast, didn't acknowledge me when I walked past her toward the bathroom. She didn't even say anything when I wore a ratty old baseball cap that didn't match my shirt. My sister was completely and utterly gone.

Alice and my mother had left a few minutes earlier to go to the banquet hall at the Fairmount Hotel where we would be having the rehearsal dinner tonight. In just two days, Alice would be married to Jasper. They were going to leave on their honeymoon for three weeks and if Alice didn't talk to Bella and I before then, I wasn't sure how we would work anything out.

As Jasper walked into the living room and sat on the couch opposite of me, a huge grin on his face as he turned on the t.v., I had the sudden urge to just…fucking…tell him. Tell him because he was Jasper and he was my best friend. To be perfectly honest, I was hoping that Alice would have told him by now so it wouldn't be as difficult for us. It was odd that she hadn't, considering that Alice told Jasper everything. But then I realized that it was probably better coming from me.

"Hey, Jasper," I started, leaning forward in my seat, my elbows on my knees.

Jasper turned to me and raised his eyebrows, turning down the volume of the football game that was currently playing. "What's up, dude?"

I let out a heavy breath and decided to just get to the point. "If I tell you something, do you promise not to get mad?" I asked like an idiot.

"What are we, in junior high?" he quipped. "What is it?" He leaned forward, mirroring my position.

"Jasper, you're my best friend. Just know that we didn't keep this from you guys because we didn't trust you or whatever, we just—"

"Dude, Edward, you're freaking me out," he interrupted. "Are you…okay? Is something wrong with you? With Bella?"

"No, no. Nothing like that," I said, shaking my head. I took a few minutes to collect my thoughts and finally, after letting out another deep breath, I decided it was time to get on with it. "About four months ago, on mine and Bella's anniversary, I had to stay a little late at work to finish up some paperwork."

_Shit, I was actually doing it. I couldn't stop now, it was too late. _

"Anyways," I continued. "As I was getting ready to leave, my secretary…Tanya…she came in and, uh…well…let's just say that Bella walked in on a compromising situation."

"What? Edward, you didn't—"

"No! No, shit, Jasper, you know me better than that!"

Jasper's face softened and he unclenched his fists, nodding. "Yea, I know. I'm sorry. You just made it sound so…" he trailed off, waving his hand in the air and willing me to understand.

"I know, imagine what it looked like," I quipped. "So yea, she walked in and _thought _that I was having some sort of affair with Tanya. She didn't let me explain and…then some other shit happened that I don't want to get into now, but…we separated for a while and were going to get a divorce."

"_What_?"

I didn't want him to get angry and interrupt me before I finished, so I continued quickly, "Yea, so that was in March and when Alice called to invite us here, Bella and I had already been separated for three months."

"So when you guys came here…" he trailed off again, trying to understand.

"…we were technically still separated…waiting to get a divorce," I finished for him quietly.

He nodded somberly, looking down at the ground, probably trying to process everything I had just said.

"And then Emmett and Rosalie found out," I went on, causing his head to snap up. "And they started messing with us…playing games, trying to get us back together. But for a while there…it seemed like a lost cause. We just weren't getting along. We didn't ever really talk about what had happened." I swallowed a giant lump in my throat, hating the pain that came with the memories of our time apart. "But then…about two weeks ago, Emmett and Rosalie stranded us on Carlisle's boat and we finally talked." I chuckled to myself, remembering the lengths that those two had gone to just to get us back together.

"Anyways," I said when I realized Jasper was staring at me with a blank expression on his face. "Bella and I have been working through our issues. They're really deep and it's not my place to tell her side of things, but for me it was just…I wasn't as perceptive as I should have been. It bothered her when girls flirted with me and I just sort of ignored it. So when Tanya came into the picture—and Tanya was _friendly_, if you know what I mean—she thought that I was just going to up and leave her for someone else. Which is ridiculous," I added quietly. "I don't want anybody else, and she knows that. It just took her a while to…fully understand it."

I chanced a glance at Jasper and saw that he was still staring at me blankly. I had told him a pretty simple breakdown of everything that had happened—leaving out some things that were Bella's to tell—and yet he was still just staring at me.

"Jasper," I said quietly. "Can you, uh…say something?"

He slowly leaned back in his seat and placed his hands behind his head as he regarded me closely. I shifted nervously under his gaze and decided that since I had already told him so much, I might as well finish it.

"The divorce papers were set to be mailed to the lake house so we could sign them," I said carefully, watching his expression intently. "I forgot about them, though, after things started getting better with Bella and me. Then I check my voicemail yesterday and I have a message from Felix, our lawyer, saying that the papers would be at the house that day. Bella and I weren't home yet, and Bella didn't even know when they were coming. Then we get here and it turns out that Alice found them and for some reason she opened them. Now she isn't speaking to me or Bella."

I let out a long sigh and sat back in my seat, feeling like a thousand weights had been lifted from my shoulders. It was as if Jasper knew I had to say it all because he didn't interrupt me once.

I looked up at him and saw that he was now staring at the ground, no emotion on his face whatsoever. I decided to let him speak when he was ready, so after a painstakingly slow five minutes—I counted—Jasper finally let out a heavy sigh and looked at me. I looked up at him and waited for him to start talking.

"Do you want a beer? Because I could use a beer," he finally said, getting off the couch and heading to the kitchen. I gaped at him as he walked out of the living room, only to appear a few minutes later with two bottles of beer. He handed one to me and I took it cautiously, watching him as he sat back in his seat and took a long swig of his drink.

I hesitantly took a small sip of my own as I continued watching him curiously. He acted as though I hadn't just told him that Bella and I had basically lied to the entire family for almost four months.

"Are you in shock or something?" I finally asked when he continued to just sit there and drink his beer.

He looked at me and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, tilting his head slightly to the side. "Pardon?"

"Jesus, Jasper!" I exploded, slamming my beer bottle down on the coffee table and standing up. "I just told you that Bella and I have been separated for the last three months and all you do is drink a beer? What the _fuck_ is that? Yell at me! Scream at me, tell me off, _something_!"

"I'm processing!" he shot back.

I was taken aback by the fact that Jasper had raised his voice—even though I had basically just begged him to—because he didn't do it often. I slowly lowered myself back on the couch and watched him…_process_.

He processed shit for the next twenty minutes.

"Okay," he finally said, sitting forward again and placing his beer bottle on the coffee table. My own sat forgotten beside his, probably too warm to drink by now. "You and Bella were separated for three months before you came here. And then you, what? Pretended you were married when you got here?"

"For the first couple of weeks…until—"

"Right, the night on the boat," Jasper remembered, waving his hand dismissively. "And the divorce papers were mailed to the house and Alice saw them," he recounted.

I nodded.

"Okay," he sighed. "So she's pissed."

I shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. I don't know what she's feeling. She's just shutting Bella and I out."

"I don't blame her," Jasper scoffed.

I nodded and looked down at the ground. "So, why aren't you beating the shit out of me right now?" I asked him, only half-joking.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because we lied," I pointed out, looking up at him again. "We lied to all of you. For almost four months, we lied to you."

Jasper nodded slowly. "Yes, and that sucks. But…well…why didn't you tell us?"

"What?" I asked, confused. His question had caught me off guard.

"Why did you and Bella keep it from us? What was the reason?"

I let out a shaky breath. "I don't know," I replied quietly, looking down at the carpet once again. "I guess because we knew it was going to be difficult, so we wanted the divorce to be official before we told anyone. We thought it would make things easier if everything was finalized.

"Then when Alice invited us up here, we didn't want to ruin her wedding. We knew if she knew about this…if anyone did…it would screw up all the wedding plans. No one would have been happy about it. _Alice _wouldn't have been happy," I stressed softly, picking at a loose thread on my jeans.

"So you didn't tell us because you didn't want to hurt us," Jasper concluded. I looked up at him and nodded again. "That's why I'm not beating the shit out of you right now," he stated simply. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, wanting him to explain.

"Listen, Edward," he sighed. "Lying to us was wrong. And yea, it hurts like hell that you kept something like this from us, but…you and Bella were probably going through a hard enough time already. You didn't need all of us getting involved." He paused for a moment, contemplating his words. "You could have told us, though, you know? I mean… you could have at least told me," he said softly. I could hear the hurt in his voice. "I would have yelled at you guys for being so stupid, but I would have been there for you, too."

"I know, Jasper," I replied sincerely.

"But now, you and Bella…you're…"

"Fine," I finished for him softly. "We're fine."

He nodded slowly. "And that's all that matters, right?"

I watched him for a moment to see if he was being sincere or if he was just masking his anger with fake understanding. Then I realized that this was Jasper, and he didn't hide his emotions. He wore them on his sleeve.

"Yea, that's all that matters," I agreed.

We sat there in relative silence for a few moments, both of us quietly going over the conversation we had just had.

"I wish Alice was as easy as you," I said after another round of silence had passed.

Jasper's head snapped up in my direction and he pursed his lips in contemplation. "Alice is…different, yes," he chuckled softly. "Understand, though, Edward…Alice is Bella's best friend. They used to tell each other everything."

"Used to?" I asked confused.

He nodded. "Yea, they haven't talked much lately. I mean, obviously. You guys are in New York. We're in Seattle. You talk to her, what? Maybe two or three times a month? And she says that she and Bella only talk about once a week."

"So?"

"_So_," he stressed. "Alice…you know, she should tell you this."

"Yea, but she won't," I reminded him.

"Right," he nodded. "Okay, well, I won't tell you everything. Just like you didn't tell Bella's side, I have no right telling Alice's. But I will say that Alice has been feeling like you guys have drifted apart. You and Bella and her. She feels like since you and Bella went to New York, you forgot about her."

"What?" I asked, shocked. At Jaspers nod of affirmation, I continued, "That couldn't be further from the truth, I haven't forgotten about her," I defended.

Jasper shrugged.

"Do you think I've forgotten about _you_?" I asked him.

"What did I say earlier? Alice and I are two different people. She's known Bella her whole life, they grew up together. And since you were only a year older than her, you guys were always close. I remember in high school, the three of you hung out together all the time. Took care of each other. When I first started dating Alice, I envied the relationship you all had with each another. I was lucky you guys accepted me."

"Good move there," I teased sarcastically.

"Hardy, har-har," Jasper sneered. "_Anyways_…you guys have always been close, so when you moved away, Alice kind of lost a whole part of her. I could see it in those first few months, but she stayed strong the best she could. After a year, though, the phone calls started getting less and less. You guys didn't talk as much and…Alice sort of accepted that. She knew you still loved her.

"But then you guys come here for four weeks, barely spend any time with her, and then she discovers that you've been keeping this enormous secret from her for nearly four months. Fuck, dude, as I'm saying all of this it really makes me want to beat the shit out of you right now," Jasper finished, chuckling to himself.

"Do it," I said determinedly as I stood up from the couch.

Jasper stopped laughing instantly and looked up at me bemused. "What?"

"Beat the shit out of me. Punch me, do whatever. I deserve it."

"Edward, I'm not gonna beat you up."

"Come on, I won't fight back," I insisted.

"No," he replied indignantly, standing up and collecting the beer bottles, taking them to the kitchen. I followed close behind him.

"Jasper, beat me up," I urged, making my way over to him. When he put the bottles in the recycling bin and stood up straight, I walked over to him and got right in his face. "Hit me."

"No," he stated firmly.

I pushed his shoulder, but he didn't react.

"Jasper, please."

"No, Edward, what the _fuck _is wrong with you?"

"I feel like shit," I shrugged.

"And me hitting you will make you feel better?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes."

He raised his eyebrows. "You need help."

"Look, I've been a shitty brother and a shitty friend…and when we tell Esme…_shit_, she's going to think I'm a shitty son. So just hit me because I deserve it."

"Nice try, but no," he answered stubbornly.

"Fuck, Jasper, just hit me!"

"_No_."

"Hit me, god damnit!"

Suddenly someone punched me in my back. Hard. I fell forward slightly and Jasper grabbed my arm to help keep me balanced. I turned around and saw Emmett standing there, a wide grin on his face. Rosalie and Bella were standing behind him, both wearing equal looks of confusion on their faces.

"What the fuck, Em?" I yelled, reaching an arm behind me to rub my back.

"You said 'hit me,'" he pointed out.

"I was talking to _Jasper_."

"Yea, but he was just staring at you, so I did the honors," he smiled.

"Fucking douche bag," I muttered, walking past him to sit at the kitchen table. My back hurt like hell.

"Why were you begging for a beating anyway, Edward?" Rosalie asked, putting the shopping bags she had in her hand on the ground and sitting at the table across from me.

I glared at her. "How long were you guys standing there?" I asked.

"Just long enough to hear you beg Jasper to hit you a couple of times," she replied, smirking at me. "Were you being a naughty boy?"

"Rose," I groaned.

"In all seriousness," she said, sobering up quickly. "What was that all about?"

I sighed and looked at Jasper, who nodded minutely. I turned back to Rosalie and then Bella. "I told Jasper," I stated simply.

Bella's eyes widened slightly, but I didn't have a chance to gauge her reaction because Rosalie started speaking, "You did? Oh my God, what? When? How?"

"After Alice and Esme left to go look at the reception hall for the rehearsal dinner," I replied.

"I see," Rosalie nodded, turning to Jasper. "And what, per chance, did you think about _that_ little plot twist."

"It was definitely shocking," he chuckled.

"You're not mad?" Rosalie asked incredulously.

Jasper looked at me and shook his head, shrugging. "Nope."

"Hmm," she hummed, sitting back in her chair to appraise him. "You always were the sensitive, understanding one, weren't you?"

Jasper smirked. "I try."

"Any luck with Alice?" Emmett asked, taking a bite of the sandwich he had apparently just made.

I shook my head. "No," I sighed. "She and Mom left before I had the chance to talk to her."

"Well, when she comes back you can," Rosalie said reassuringly.

I nodded, offering her a grateful smile. "Hopefully."

"Well, Bella, all you're worrying about how to tell the family may have been for naught. Maybe Edward just has a way with words," Rosalie teased. I chuckled and glanced at Bella, but she didn't crack a smile.

"You told Jasper?" Bella asked me softly, finally speaking for the first time since she came home.

Suddenly I realized that perhaps I should have talked to Bella before I made the decision to tell Jasper everything. But it had all happened so quickly that it never even crossed my mind that Bella might be upset with me for telling him without her.

"Yea. Bella, I'm sorry, I should have talked to you first, but—"

"No, Edward, it's fine. I understand," she replied gently. "You and Jasper are best friends. You had every right to tell him. I'm sort of glad you did. I don't know how I would have been able to." She let out a nervous laugh and Jasper walked over to her, putting his arm around her shoulders and squeezing her gently.

"You're not mad that I didn't talk to you first?" I asked hesitantly.

Bella, who was smiling at Jasper, looked back at me and shook her head. "No, Edward. I mean, I would have liked a little bit of warning so that I could have known what to expect when I came home, but I know you didn't purposely do it behind my back."

"I didn't," I responded fervently.

Bella smiled slightly at me before turning in Jasper's arms and hugging him tightly. He whispered something in her ear and she nodded before they broke apart and Bella walked over to my side.

"We should probably go get ready for tonight," I suggested, taking Bella's hand in mine. My real incentive for going upstairs was being alone with Bella. Preferably naked.

"Good idea," Rosalie smiled, getting up and grabbing her many shopping bags. "And since you're going up, would you mind placing these in mine and Emmett's room?" she asked me sweetly, holding the shopping bags out to me. I glared at her, but took the bags anyways, saying a quick 'goodbye' to Jasper and Emmett as Bella and I headed upstairs.

"Jesus, Rose, did you buy enough?" I called out to her.

"Love you," she sang back.

I just chuckled and shook my head. After placing the bags in Rosalie and Emmett's room, Bella and I headed to our own room and closed the door behind us. I pulled her with me toward the bed and immediately pressed my lips to hers. She giggled softly against my mouth, but pulled away, placing her palms on my chest to keep a distance between us.

"Edward, you said we came upstairs to get ready for tonight," she pointed out.

"So?" I whispered, leaning in to kiss her again, only to have her pull back.

"We have to be at the hotel in two hours and I still need to shower before I can do my hair and make-up," Bella said, looking up at me pleadingly.

"It'll only take five minutes," I promised softly, leaning in again and capturing her mouth in a searing kiss. Much to my dismay, she pulled away again.

"Five minutes?" she asked incredulously.

"I can go for three," I bargained.

She shook her head. "You're going to fuck me for five minutes? Thanks, Edward, don't I feel special."

"Bella," I groaned, tightening my hold around her waist when I felt her pulling away. I made sure that she could feel my erection pressed against her so she would know how much I needed her.

"What do you want, Edward?" she asked me gently.

"I want you to get into that shower with me," I whispered roughly, pressing my lips to her neck and loving how her breathing became shallow. I knew she wanted me just as much as I wanted her; I just had to get her to stop teasing.

"Are you going to fuck me for five minutes?" she asked quietly, her voice shaking slightly.

"I'm going to fuck you for as long as you want," I murmured, dragging my lips across the sensitive flesh behind her ear, down to her neck and collarbone.

"Mmm," she moaned. "We don't have a lot of time."

"I don't care."

And with that, I removed her clothing while she did the same for me. And within minutes, I had her pressed up against the shower wall, the hot water cascading down on us both.

"God, I can never get enough of you," I breathed against her chest as I took her nipple into my mouth and sucked gently.

She moaned in response and fisted her hands in my hair. I pulled away from her breast and trailed my kisses back up to her neck, along her jaw, until I finally kissed the corner of her mouth.

"Get inside me, Edward," she whispered urgently.

I didn't need her to tell me twice.

I grabbed her right leg and hoisted it up to wrap around my waist while I opened her up to me. I slid one finger inside of her to make sure she was ready—and _fuck_ was she ready—before I finally sheathed myself inside of her. We both moaned at the sensation and I held still for a moment, enjoying the feeling of having her wrapped around me.

Gradually, I began moving until I set a quick and steady pace for us both. Bella held onto my shoulders and I kept one of my arms firmly around her waist while the other was groping her thigh that was wrapped around me. The sounds she was making—the moaning and heavy breathing—was all getting to be too much for me and I knew I wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.

"Bella, I'm really close," I gasped as I continued to plunge into her. I was going faster and harder without even realizing it, but I needed to get us both to ecstasy together.

"It's too much, Edward," she panted. "God, it's too much."

I immediately reached between us and began rubbing her clit with my thumb, using the same erratic and fervent pace I was using to thrust into her. Within a few minutes, I heard Bella's sharp intake of breath and looked up just in time to see her squeeze her eyes shut tightly and moan my name. The noises she was making sent me over the edge and I shuddered violently before spilling inside of her.

I slid my hand from Bella's thigh up to her ass and squeezed it tightly as I rested my head in the crook of her neck. We both continued to pant heavily as we came down from our high. After about five minutes, when I was certain we had both caught our breaths, I released Bella's ass with one final squeeze and helped her put her foot back on the ground. I pulled away from her far enough so that I could see her face.

"Was that good?" I teased quietly.

She finally looked up at me and I could see her chest still heaving slightly from breathing so hard. "Yea," she gasped. "That was definitely good."

I smirked at her before pressing my lips firmly to hers and whispering my love for her. After about thirty minutes of lingering touches and soft kisses, Bella and I finally finished our shower and hopped out to get dressed for the rehearsal dinner.

I slipped on my black boxer briefs before going into the small closet and taking down one of the suits I had brought with myself on this trip. After pulling the black slacks on, I sat on the edge of the bed and put on my shoes and socks before standing back up and slipping on the white dress shirt and then tying my tie. Just as I was buttoning the cuffs on my sleeves, the bathroom door opened.

"Edward, can you zip me up?" Bella asked softly.

I nodded and finished buttoning my cuffs before finally looking up at her. I stopped in my tracks and just gazed at the vision before me. Bella was wearing the most beautiful midnight blue dress that ended above her knees. It was slightly off her shoulders and because she had put her hair up in a messy pony tail, her neck and delicious collarbone were left exposed to my hungry eyes.

I approached her slowly, moving to stand behind her as I slowly and gently began pulling the zipper up the back of her dress. I took my time and probably touched more than necessary, but I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to revel in the sheer beauty that was Bella.

"You're breathtaking," I whispered, placing a kiss on the back of her neck when I finished zipping up the dress.

"Thank you," she replied softly. She turned around in my arms and wrapped her arms around my neck, smiling up at me. "You look amazing, Edward."

I smiled down at her and leaned in, pressing my lips gently to hers. "Thank you," I whispered against her lips. There was suddenly a light knock at the door and Bella and I both pulled away from each other. I nodded to her to answer the door as I slipped on my suit jacket.

Bella walked over to the door and pulled it open. I looked over just in time to see Alice appear in the doorway, a blank expression on her face as she looked at Bella and then me and then back at Bella.

"Come on, I need to do your hair and make-up," Alice murmured softly, waiting for Bella to follow her.

Instead, Bella looked back at me anxiously before meeting Alice's gaze again. "You're still doing my hair and make-up?" Bella asked uncertainly.

"I always do your hair and make-up," was Alice's quiet response as she turned around and started down the hall toward her and Jasper's room. I watched Bella stand there confused for a minute before she finally cast another wary glance over her shoulder at me and followed after Alice.

I was left in a daze at Alice's behavior, but simply shook my head to clear my thoughts. I finished getting ready and walked out of the bedroom and down the hall to Alice and Jasper's room. I pressed my ear to their door and when I didn't hear anything, I stepped away and walked towards the stairs, hoping to God that Alice and Bella were going to be alright in there.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_**Bella POV**_

I was hesitant in following Alice to her room. Oh, who was I kidding? I was fucking terrified.

I walked behind Alice into their bedroom and then to their bathroom, taking a seat in the vanity chair in front of the mirror that I usually occupied when Alice was doing my hair and make-up.

I was shocked, to say the least, when Alice came to help me get ready. Granted she always helped me get ready, but I figured after everything that had happened, the last thing she would want to do was be in a room alone with me. But now that we were alone, I was praying that we would be able to talk. Really talk.

Alice wordlessly got to work taking down my ponytail and running a brush quickly through my hair. I looked up in the mirror at her and saw that she was concentrating on the task at hand and paying no attention whatsoever to me. I took in the beautiful, dark purple dress she had on and I also noticed that she had already done her own hair and make-up.

"You look beautiful, Alice," I said softly.

I noticed her movements stutter for a minute before she composed herself and got to work teasing my hair and making the natural waves I already had more apparent. She worked in silence for a few minutes and I realized that I would have to be the one to initiate conversation. I looked down at my lap, trying to think of some way to begin, when a memory came to mind and a small smile overtook my face.

"Do you remember that summer when I was twelve and you were eleven, and Carlisle put that tire swing up in your backyard for us?" I began quietly, still smiling. I looked up in the mirror and saw Alice had stopped what was doing and was looking down at the top of my head. "We were so upset that I was going to junior high and we'd be split up for a whole year that…your dad went out and got us something that we could share together. We used to go out there everyday, and then after a while it became the place you and I would go to talk and share secrets," I continued, still watching her even though she still wasn't looking at me. "Like when I went on that date with Bret in eighth grade and he was a total douche. We went out to that swing for hours and you just talked to me and made me feel better.

"Or when you didn't get the lead in the school play your freshman year in high school, and your mom gave us that pint of Rocky Road ice cream and we took it out to the swing and just laid on the grass all day. We didn't even have to sit on the swing sometimes. Sometimes just being near it helped. It was our own special place, somewhere where we could go and say everything we needed to say without worrying about being judged or anything."

Alice was now looking at the ground and I let out a heavy sigh, shifting my focus once again to my lap. "I could really use that swing right about now, Alice, how 'bout you?" I breathed our shakily, forcing a weak laugh even though it ended up sounding chocked with the tears that were now threatening to escape. "I feel like it was easier to talk back then," I added softly.

It was silent for a really long time after that and I began to feel stupid for even bringing up the whole tire swing thing when Alice clearly didn't want to talk to me. I was about to tell her to forget it and just move on with fixing my hair, when she spoke.

"Where have you been, Bella?" she murmured quietly.

I looked up at the mirror and saw that she was looking at me through it as well. "What do you mean?" I asked, my eyebrows furrrowing in confusion.

"I mean where have you been?" she repeated, raising her voice slightly. "Because for the last three years, I feel like you've just been missing."

"What do you mean by that? Three years, what is that?" I asked her, remembering her saying something similar yesterday.

"What I mean by that is you and Edward moved to New York and just forgot about me," she snapped, her anger finally coming to the surface.

I shook my head furiously as her words registered. "That's not true," I stated firmly.

"Oh yea? Because I only hear from you once, maybe twice a week if I'm lucky. I mean, for God's sakes, Bella, I invited you and Edward here for my wedding and I've only seen you a handful of times! And now I find out that you and Edward are getting a _divorce_? I mean, okay, fine it may not be any of my business, but I'm pretty sure it's common courtesy to just come right out and say your getting a divorce rather than lie to everybody!"

"Alice—"

"And you know, divorce is beside the point! I don't care! Don't tell me, fine! All I want to know is what happened to my best friend?" she asked, her voice breaking slightly on the last word as a tear slipped down her cheek. "What happened to my brother? When you and Edward went to New York and left everything behind…I didn't think that meant that you would leave every_one_ behind, too.

"For the last three years, I've been trying to convince myself that we weren't drifting apart. That you and Edward would always be here. That we'd always be there for each other. But that's really fucking hard to do, Bella, when your best friend and brother—two of the people that you trust more than anything in the world—barely have time to call you and then show up for four weeks and barely spend any time with you! And on top of all that, you find out that they've been keeping this huge secret from everybody. Like it doesn't even fucking matter!

"You guys just forgot about everything and everyone you left behind when you moved away. And now you don't even share anything about your lives with us," Alice finished, panting heavily at that point as tears fell freely from her eyes.

I sat there, my mouth parted slightly, as Alice stormed out of the bathroom. I played back everything she had just said and realized that Edward and I hadn't thought a lot about what it would do to our families when we up and left everything behind. I never once gave a second thought to how hard it would be for Charlie or Esme or…Alice.

Moving away from the family and life that I loved was so hard for me and I knew it was hard for Edward, too. But we stayed strong because we had careers and a future to tend to. Life just got in the way and—just like Alice had said—we _had_ drifted apart. I just never noticed it until now. New York was fast paced and Edward and I were so busy starting our new lives that checking in with our families regularly became a hassle for us. I didn't realized how much all of that had affected anybody until now.

I sat there for a while longer as silent tears fell down my face. I was about to get up and leave, figuring Alice wasn't coming back and probably wanted me gone, when she walked back in, holding a box of tissues in her hand and dabbing at her eyes with one of them.

"Here," she said, thrusting the box in my hands.

I chuckled weakly through my own tears and took a couple of tissues, wiping at my own eyes. "Thanks," I whispered.

Alice nodded and set the tissue box on the vanity before leaning back against it so she was across from me.

"Alice," I began softly, staring down at my lap like a coward. "I'm so sorry Edward and I made you feel like we forgot about you. About all of you. We just…when we moved to New York, there was so much to do to get settled. And then we had our jobs and you had _your_ job and…we just…drifted apart," I murmured, repeating her own words from earlier.

"I'm sorry, too, Bella," she whispered, causing me to look up at her confused. "God, I shouldn't have held all that in for the last three years." She looked down and shook her head, chuckling humorlessly.

"Alice, Edward and I aren't getting a divorce—"

"Why are you and Edward getting a divorce?"

Alice and I both talked over each other and laughed softly at our similar thinking. I could tell when what I had said registered in Alice's mind, because she looked up at me and her eye widened immensely.

"You're…you're not?" she asked, stunned and confused.

I shook my head. "No."

"But…the papers…they said—"

"I know," I sighed, letting out a deep breath. "It's such a huge, complicated mess of a story. And if you have time," I began softly, looking up at her hesitantly, "I could really use a tire swing moment."

Alice's face transformed into a soft smile as she grabbed my hand and led me to the bed. We sat down side by side, Alice's hand in mine as I rested my head on her shoulder.

"Four months ago, on mine and Edward's three year anniversary, I went to surprise him at work…"

And so we sat there for the next hour as I relayed the entire story to Alice. I told her about walking in on Edward and Tanya and then segued to my insecurity issues and how she, better than anyone, knew that I had had them pretty much my entire life. I told her how I projected my insecurities onto Edward and how he was so quick to dismiss them. I explained to her that although I should have trusted him, he, too, knew that he shouldn't have ignored my issues.

I told her about Jacob, too, and how I had foolishly found solace in him when I returned to the apartment. I relayed the painful three month separation and our logic behind keeping our impending divorce a secret—our logic was that we just didn't want to have to hurt them.

I then told her about mine and Edward's plan to keep it a secret when we came to the lake house because we didn't want to ruin Alice's wedding. Telling her about Rosalie and Emmett finding out was extremely difficult because I could tell she was hurt by the fact that all four of us had been keeping this a secret for the last few weeks.

I described the games that Rosalie and Emmett played in an attempt to push Edward and I together—including the drunken sex, which Alice found most amusing. Then came the night on the boat when everything finally came to a head. I told her about what Edward and I had talked about, what we both needed to work on, and what had happened to cause such strife in our relationship.

I let her know that for the last two weeks, we hadn't been faking it anymore. I told her that I felt that mine and Edward's connection was stronger than it had ever been before. I even told her about the divorce papers and why they had been mailed to the lake house and she explained to me how it was an accident that she had discovered them.

Once we finished discussing mine and Edward's relationship over the last few months, I brought up everything that she had said earlier. Alice finally told me exactly how she felt after Edward and I moved away. She had tried to stay strong, knowing we all had our own lives to live. She told me how hard it had been for everyone after we left, but how they eventually accepted it while she just couldn't.

I understood her completely. Alice, Edward, and I had always been extremely close and then suddenly Edward and I left, breaking up our dynamic trio. I told her that was never our intention and how we should have made more of an effort to reach out to everybody after we left. I also told her that the last thing Edward and I would ever want was to drift apart from the people that we loved. Alice seemed to understand and accept everything that I was saying and I was happy when I finally saw that spark in her eye that I had been missing.

I hadn't realized how much I had missed Alice—what with everything that had been going on for the last few months. We both made each other a promise not to let things get this far ever again. Lack of communication was what had almost torn Edward and I apart, and I told Alice I would never forgive myself if I made that mistake again with anybody else.

I let out a heavy breath when we were finally finished speaking. Alice and I had shifted positions during our long conversation and I was now laying back on the bed, resting on my elbows, while Alice sat cross-legged beside me. We sat there in relative silence for a few minutes before the bedroom door was pulled open and Rosalie stood there in her stunning maroon, silk dress.

"Hey, thanks for inviting me to the party," she quipped sarcastically, walking into the room and shutting the door behind her. "Are you two hoes friends again?"

"We never _stopped_ being friends, Rose," Alice answered. I looked at her and smiled while she winked back at me.

"Good, because I missed us," Rosalie smiled, sitting on the bed beside me. "Jesus, Bella, nice hair."

My eyes widened at her comment at the same time that Alice clamped a hand over her mouth and looked at the alarm clock on the beside table.

"Oh, shoot, we have to be at the hotel in thirty minutes!" Alice shrieked, jumping off the bed and running into the bathroom.

I hopped off the bed and followed after her, Rosalie trailing right behind me. I plopped down in the chair and Rosalie and Alice got to work fixing my hair and make-up. It took about fifteen minutes for them to rush through everything, but the final product looked like it had taken hours. Alice left for a second to go get my shoes while Rosalie leaned against the vanity across from me, much like Alice had done earlier.

"So?" she prompted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"So," I shrugged, looking at myself in the mirror and loosely running my fingers through my hair a few times.

"So, how did it go? Telling Alice?" Rosalie asked me.

I let out a heavy sigh and looked up at her. "It went…well. I definitely learned some things."

"Like what?" Rosalie asked curiously.

I looked down at my lap and let out a small laugh. "Uh…like…like, just a lot of things," I responded vaguely, looking up at Rosalie once again and smirking. She glared at me.

"Fine, be all evasive," she huffed, turning to look at herself in the mirror.

After a few minutes, I asked her the question that was burning deep inside me. "Rose? Do you think we're drifting apart?"

She looked up at me through the mirror and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Who?" she asked.

"Us. All of us."

She stared at me for a moment before shaking her head slowly. "Of course not, why would you ask that?"

"It's just…Edward and I live over two thousand miles away. And I know ever since we moved out to New York, we haven't made a lot of time for all of you and—"

"Distance doesn't mean anything, Bella," Rosalie interjected. "It doesn't matter if your five minutes away or six hundred thousand miles away. We're always with each other."

I gaped at Rosalie for a minute, not used to this sudden sensitivity. Alice walked back into the room, holding my heels in her hand. When she noticed that Rosalie and I were both misty-eyed and staring at each other in the mirror, she looked at us confused.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

I shook my head, trying to gather my thoughts. "Nothing. I'm just…I'm really lucky to have you guys," I answered lamely. "I never want to take any of you for granted."

Alice smiled softly at me as Rosalie wiped a few stray tears away.

"Are you crying?" Alice asked her, shocked.

"No," Rosalie replied quickly, shielding her face from view.

"You dirty little liar," Alice countered, smiling devilishly. "You so are."

Rosalie finally turned to look at us with puffy red eyes. "No, I'm not," she replied sternly.

"Come on, Alice, we gotta go," I told her, standing up from the chair and grabbing my shoes.

"Bella," Alice called out at me as I slipped on the heels and made my way toward the door. I turned around and looked at her, raising my eyebrows for her to continue. "You look beautiful tonight," she smiled.

I couldn't help the wide smile I gave her in return. "Thanks, Alice," I whispered.

"Hey, what about me?" Rosalie chimed in, putting her hands on her hips. Alice and I exchanged a quick glance and shook our heads, laughing quietly.

"Don't ever change, Rose," I giggled softly. "I mean that."

Rosalie nodded and smirked as she walked past me. "Don't worry. I'll be a raging bitch forever."

Alice and I smiled and watched as Rosalie left the room to head downstairs. I turned back to Alice and offered her a reassuring smile.

"This is it. Your rehearsal dinner," I told her gently. "Two more days."

She nodded and her face broke out into a wide smile once again. "I missed you, Bella."

"I missed you, too. Now let's go. We're being such stereotypical woman right now, taking so long."

Alice laughed softly and walked over to me, taking my hand in hers as we left the room and headed downstairs. Now all that was left to do was tell Carlisle and Esme about what had happened between Edward and I. I had been so afraid and hesitant to tell anyone about it before, but now I just wanted to finish it and get it over with so that Edward and I could finally move forward.

It did, however, bring up the concern that I should probably tell Charlie and Renee since they would be at the wedding, but I figured I would deal with that when the time came. Now that Edward and I had overcome our issues, I wasn't ashamed or afraid to tell them what had happened. Edward and I had gone through hell and back for three months, and yet we came out on the other side stronger than ever.

I snapped out of my thoughts when Alice and I reached the last step and Edward turned in our direction, his eyes landing on the two of us. Then his gaze fell to mine and Alice's joined hands, and he smiled.

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**Author's Note: ****I'm sorry I couldn't work in the coming clean with Carlisle and Esme in this chapter—it'll come in the next one as will the rehearsal dinner. This chapter was just getting far too long and I knew it wouldn't all fit. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this chapter :) Thank you for reading.**


	23. Moving Forward

**_Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer._**

**Author's Note: Thank you guys so much for the amazing support. I just want to apologize for the fact that there was no update last Sunday. This chapter was really difficult to get started, so it took me a while to find a flow. I'm glad I have it done and can finally post it for you guys. I hope you enjoy it!**

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_**Edward POV**_

I walked to the open bar and got two more glasses of champagne before making my way through the throng of smiling friends, family, and people I had never even seen before. I shouldn't have been surprised that there were so many guests here tonight. The scary part was that this was the rehearsal dinner and some of the guests for the wedding hadn't even flown in yet.

I finally made my way to the table that my brothers and sisters were occupying and I sat down beside Bella, placing her glass of champagne on the table in front of her and kissing the side of her face. She smiled at me sweetly and thanked me before resuming her conversation with Alice.

I hadn't had a chance to ask the girls about what had happened and I knew that they would tell me when and if they wanted to. To say I was shocked when I saw Alice and Bella walking down the stairs hand in hand would have been an understatement. It took me a moment to realize that they weren't pretending to be getting along for the sake of the family—like Bella and I had been doing those first couple of weeks—but that they were actually…happy.

My heart had constricted in my chest at the sight and I couldn't hold back the smile that appeared on my face. I had briefly wondered where this put Alice and me. Had forgiving Bella meant she forgave me as well? I still felt like the two of us needed closure.

Suddenly, a slow song came on and Jasper stood up. I thought he was going to ask for Alice's hand, but he surprised me when he held out his hand for Bella. I was only surprised further when she smiled at him and took it without hesitation. She looked at me over her shoulder and winked before turning back to Jasper as they walked to the middle of the dance floor where all the other couples were dancing.

I looked at Alice and saw her smiling softly at me. "Do you want to dance with me?" she asked gently.

I couldn't speak, so I simply nodded as I stood up and took her hand. I led her to the dance floor, a few feet away from Bella and Jasper, and put my hands on her waist as she wound her arms around my neck.

"This reminds me of when Mom made us take those ballroom dance classes in high school," she said, smiling up at me.

I chuckled and shook my head. "Yea, that was a long fourteen weeks."

Alice laughed quietly and nodded in agreement. "It was. But I didn't mind going because you were my dance partner."

I smiled slightly at her statement, but it faded almost instantly. "Alice, I'm sorry," I said softly.

Alice shook her head and sighed. "I understand, Edward. Bella told me everything. I'm sorry you guys had to go through all of that."

I nodded at her sympathetic statement, but I still didn't feel like I could let this go. "I feel…so guilty for lying to everyone," I said honestly, keeping my voice low so that no one around would hear. "You guys are my family…you're everything to me, and…I just…I don't know…" I trailed off, shaking my head at my inability to form any coherent sentences. I had been rehearsing what I wanted to say to Alice all day and now I couldn't even speak.

"You don't have to explain to me, Edward—"

"How can you say that?" I whispered incredulously. "Alice, we lied to you. For weeks, we lied. We hurt the most important people in the world to us."

Alice let out a heavy breath and looked down, nodding. "It did hurt, yes. But…God, Edward, what do you want me to say?" she asked, sounding exasperated as she finally looked up at me again. "That you're the worst brother in the world? That I hate you and never want to see you again? That I don't forgive you?" Her eyes had filled with tears, but we continued moving slowly to the soft music that was still playing.

I hated seeing Alice cry. I had always hated it. And now I was the one causing it.

"Edward," she started firmly, "you're my brother. And I love you so much. I'm not going to lie and say it didn't hurt that you and Bella didn't tell me what was going on. I mean, we've always been so close, us three, you know? But…how can I hold it against you? Against either of you? What good would that do me?" she questioned me seriously, her voice still shaking slightly from her tears.

I had taken to looking down at the ground, too ashamed to look at my baby sister, and Alice placed her hand on my chin and lifted my head up so I would look her in the eyes. We had stopped dancing and were now just standing there among the swaying couples.

"What good would it do me to shut out two of the most important people in my life?" she finished in a whisper, tears now freely falling down her face.

I placed my hand on the side of her face and wiped the tears away with my thumb. "I'm sorry I made you cry," I whispered.

Alice let out a small tear-filled laugh and wiped the rest of her tears away. "Please, I'm just an emotional bride," she joked.

I chuckled quietly before my face turned serious again. "I really am sorry, Alice," I said softly. "About everything. You have no idea…how much I love you. You don't know how much you mean to me. I could never stand losing you."

Alice threw her arms around my neck and I could feel her body shaking lightly with her silent tears. "You could never lose me, Edward," she whispered against my neck, her voice breaking slightly from her tears. "You could never lose me."

One of my arms was wrapped tightly around Alice's waist while the other was holding the back of her neck and stroking her hair softly. I just felt like holding my baby sister like that forever, protecting her from ever being hurt like this again.

"Thank you for forgiving us," I whispered after a moment's silence.

Alice pulled away from me and wiped her tears away. "I'll always forgive you guys, Edward. Because I know that nothing you do will ever be to intentionally hurt me," she stated firmly.

I nodded my head in agreement and smiled slightly at her. "I'm sorry for making you ruin your make-up," I said as I noticed that she had not only wiped her tears away, but also most of her eye make-up.

Alice rolled her eyes at me and smiled. "Don't worry. I always have back-up," she smirked. "I love you, Edward," she said, her voice turning serious again.

"I love you, too, baby sister."

"I'm not a baby," she mock-pouted, though I could see the small smile playing on her lips.

"You'll always be a baby to me," I joked, reaching my hand out to pretend like I was going to ruffle her hair.

She side-stepped me quickly and glared. "Edward Cullen, don't you dare," she warned me.

I chuckled and held my hands up in mock-surrender. "I'm just messing with you, Alice."

She narrowed her eyes at me, but the small smile never left her face. Emmett walked over to us a second later and placed an arm around both Alice and me.

"Look at us," he boasted happily. "The Cullen siblings together again."

"Em, we've been together for the last four weeks," Alice pointed out.

"Not to mention our whole lives," I quipped.

Emmett shot a glare in my direction before looking back at Alice. "_Anyways_," he started again. "I couldn't help but notice your little display of brotherly-sisterly affection just a few moments ago, and I can't help but feel left out."

"Emmett," I groaned.

"Come on, Edward," he smiled, turning to look at me again. "Tell me you love me."

"No," I stated firmly.

"Do it," he goaded.

"No, Emmett."

"Do it or I tell Bella how you wore women's underwear senior year," he threatened.

"It was one time on a dare, and she already knows about that," I countered.

"Oh really?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at me. "Does she also know how you couldn't stop talking about the silkiness and comfort of them for hours afterwards?"

My eyes widened at his blackmail as Alice giggled softly beside us. "Come on, dude, I was seventeen. And I wore them for like six hours, so of course after a while they started to feel comfortable," I explained.

"I didn't know you wore woman's underwear, Edward," Alice teased me shamelessly.

"It was _one time_," I repeated. "Emmett, seriously, enough."

"Oh, Bella—!" I clamped my hand over Emmett's mouth before he could attract the attention of anyone in the banquet hall. The asshole licked my hand.

I quickly pulled my hand away in disgust and wiped it against my suit jacket. "Sick-ass," I complained.

"Tell me," he stated simply.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Fine, Emmett, I love you," I practically spat at him.

He frowned at me. "Come on, Edward, like you mean it." I was shocked to see that Emmett was actually being serious.

I let out another deep breath and contained the eye roll this time. "Emmett…I love you," I said quietly.

Emmett's face broke out into a wide smile as he shook his head. "Dude, you're such a pansy-ass."

My face fell at his words. "Asshole," I said as I punched him in the arm.

He grabbed the arm I had hit and rubbed it gently. "Ow! Calm yourself, I was kidding," he laughed. "Seriously, dude. I love you, too." And with that declaration, he took my head under his arm and started giving me a noogie like we were in third grade or something. "You're my baby brother," he bellowed proudly as I struggled to break free from his grasp.

"Settle down, boys," Alice scolded playfully, grabbing Emmett's other arm and tugging him toward her. He finally released me and clamped a giant hand on my back as I glared at him and tried fixing my hair. He looked at Alice and smiled cheekily. "Tell me you love me, baby sis," he prompted.

Alice rolled her eyes at Emmett's term of endearment, but her face broke out into a bright smile as she leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I love you, Em," she stated easily.

"I love you, too," he answered, placing his arm around her should again and squeezing her gently.

"Now if you'll excuse me," she finally said, "Jasper is waiting." She smiled and kissed us both on the cheek before walking past us to find her fiancé.

"Yea, I'm gonna go find Rosalie. You good here?" he asked me. He chuckled when he noticed I was still running my hand through my hair in an effort to tame it since he had messed it up.

"Yea, fine," I bit back. He chuckled again and patted me on the shoulder as he walked past me.

I looked around for Bella and saw her standing near our table talking to another woman. I didn't want to interrupt them, so I made my way to the open bar again and took a seat at the stool as I ordered a Jack and Coke.

I sat there, drinking my drink slowly for about fifteen minutes, when I felt the stool beside me become occupied. I looked beside me and saw Bella ordering another glass of champagne from the bartender. When he turned around to get her drink, she looked at me and smiled.

"Hey, you," she said softly.

"Hey," I said, placing my hand on her thigh and rubbing it gently.

"Trying to get a feel of my underwear, Edward?" she smirked. "Word is you like the silkiness of it. Maybe the comfort?"

My jaw dropped open at her teasing and I immediately retracted my hand from her thigh. "Who told you? Emmett or Alice? Oh, hell, I'll kill them both," I said angrily as I stood up from my seat.

Bella grabbed my arm and pulled me back down as she laughed at my expense. "You will do no such thing," she said in between fits of laughter. "And just for the record, it was Emmett."

I went to stand up again, but she held my arm firmly and pulled me back down. "Look, I wore them for most of the day, so of course I grew used to them," I began to explain hastily. "That was the only time, though. I would never do it again even if someone paid me."

"That's a shame," she said, her voice sounding disappointed. "The idea of you in women's underwear was kind of a turn-on."

My mouth fell open again as I stared at her in shock. "Are you serious?"

She burst into laughter at that and quickly thanked the waiter as he handed her her drink. "No, Edward, and please don't try it out," she warned once the laughter had subsided.

I finally started laughing along with her until my hand was back where it belonged, on her thigh. "Good, because that was a one time thing," I stated with finality. "I'd appreciate it if we would just forget about it."

"Deal," she agreed.

"So how are you tonight?" I asked quietly.

She nodded as she took a sip of her champagne and looked at me. "I'm good. I'm…happy." She let out a small laugh and looked down at her glass.

I smiled at her and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I'm happy, too," I said softly. She looked at me and leaned into my touch. "I talked to Alice," I added.

"And?" she implored, turning to face me fully.

"And…everything is okay," I stated simply, still giving her a soft smile.

Bella smiled back at me and leaned forward, placing a kiss on my lips. "Let's go to the table," she said, grabbing my hand and pulling me with her. She seemed like she was in some sort of hurry and I didn't understand why until we got to our table and I saw that my parents were the only ones sitting there.

"Edward, Bella," my mother greeted us happily. I smiled in return as Bella pulled me down to sit beside her and across from my parents.

"What have you two been up to?" my father asked us, a bright smile on his face.

"Just enjoying the party. Alice and Jasper put together some wedding rehearsal," I complimented with a smile.

Esme nodded in agreement. "They sure did. It's absolutely beautiful, isn't it?"

"It is," Bella murmured softly before clearing her throat. "So listen, Edward and I have something we'd like to tell you."

I turned to Bella, my eyes widening in surprise at how she was taking control of the situation and getting right down to it.

"What is it, sweetheart?" my mother asked her sweetly, leaning forward.

Bella took a deep breath and grasped my hand in hers tightly. "Edward and I, we, um…we've had some problems these last few months."

Esme furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as my father looked equally concerned beside her. "What sort of problems? Are you both alright? Is it medical?" she started asking earnestly.

"No, no, nothing like that," Bella said, shaking her head. "We're both healthy. We're fine, we just…" she trailed off and looked at me. "Jesus, this seemed like a better idea on the walk over here," she said, laughing humorlessly. "I can't, Edward," she whispered pleadingly.

I nodded understandingly and kissed the top of her head, putting my arm around her shoulders and rubbing her arm reassuringly as I looked back at my worried parents. "Bella and I were on the verge of divorce at one point," I said softly. Esme gasped and sat back in her chair as Carlisle placed a soothing hand on her arm. "We had some issues that we should have worked out, but were both too stubborn to," I continued, looking at Bella and smiling faintly as she smiled sadly in return.

I let out another heavy breath and looked back at my parents. "When we came here, we were still technically separated—had been for three months, to be exact—but we didn't want to ruin the wedding or make everyone unhappy, so we kept it to ourselves. Then Emmett and Rosalie found out and…it took a while," I chuckled, remembering Emmett and Rosalie's games, "but they finally got us to stop being stupid and work our shi—I mean, our issues…out," I explained, turning to look at Bella again and giving her another reassuring squeeze. But she wasn't looking at me, instead focusing her gaze on my parents, more specifically, on my mother.

"Esme, do you hate us?" Bella whispered quickly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

I frowned at her question, but I could understand it—I, too, had had a fleeting thought that perhaps my parents would be so displeased with what we had done that they wouldn't want to speak to us for some time. I looked back at Esme and saw her looking at Bella with a shocked expression on her face. I couldn't tell if it was due to Bella's question or everything that we had just confessed.

"Bella…" she started, shaking her head. "How could you possibly think that?"

"Bella," Carlisle spoke up, leaning forward since my mother couldn't seem to formulate any response right now. "It's alright, sweetheart. Nobody hates you. We both love you so much."

Bella nodded and averted her gaze to her lap as I continued to look at my father. "We're so sorry we lied to everyone. We just thought it would be best not to upset anybody. We were going to tell you when it was official," I explained.

"Edward, you're not still…" Esme trailed off, looking at me with a horrified expression on her face.

"No, not at all," I said fervently, shaking my head.

"Not even close," Bella added, having finally looked up at them again.

"We don't need to know the details, it's not our business," Carlisle stated. My mother seemed like she wanted to argue, but then she sighed and nodded in agreement. "But do you mind telling us _why _exactly you thought divorce was ever an option?"

I shrugged. "I honestly don't know. Everything seemed to happen so quickly," I said, looking over at Bella as she nodded subtly.

"We were both so…broken, I think," she added quietly. "Like Edward said…we were both too stubborn and stupid to just talk it out." She looked at me again and sighed. "I won't ever make that mistake again."

I leaned forward and kissed her forehead, letting her know that I loved her and that I felt the same way. I turned back to my parents. "I know you said it was none of your business, but we want to tell you what happened," I said, looking at Bella for confirmation. She nodded in return and I took a deep breath before diving into the story.

I felt like we had told this story so many times and hearing it over and over again just reminded me of how stupid we had been for not talking things out when the problem first arose. I could tell my mother held back from voicing her opinions every once and a while and for that I was grateful.

They were both equally concerned about Bella's insecurity issues and didn't understand them, but Bella reassured them that she was working through it. And I told them that they weren't alone in their thoughts, and that I, too, had needed some time to understand her and realize where my mistakes had been as well.

It was stupid of me to even consider for a second that my parents would have disowned Bella and me when they found out the truth. There were definitely moments when they voiced their disappointment in our lack of communication, but they then went on to reassure us that it could happen to any marriage. I was shocked to hear my parents tell stories about altercations they had gotten into with one another because I had always viewed them as the happiest couple in the world.

Once Bella and I finished telling our story, Esme stood up and hugged Bella and I both fiercely. I could tell Bella was extremely worried about my parent's reaction—I was as well—and my mother saw this and wanted to give her the reassurance that she needed.

My heart constricted in my chest when Carlisle pulled Bella into a warm, fatherly embrace and I could see the love radiating off of him. Then he turned to me and hugged me as well. My father and I were extremely close, but I couldn't remember the last time we had really hugged. In that moment, I felt so much like a small child, but I couldn't find it in me to care.

We sat there and talked for a couple of hours as the party continued around us, catching up on the missed time since Bella and I had moved to New York. During a small pause in the conversation, I excused myself to go get everyone another drink from the bar and as I finally reached it and ordered the beverages, I felt a hand clamp down on my shoulder. I swiftly turned around and saw a man who looked to be in his late thirties standing there with a small smile on his face.

"Hi there, Mr. Cullen. I'm John Jenks," the man stated brightly, dropping his arm from my shoulder and extending it out to me. I looked at him confused for a moment, but took his offered hand and shook it. "You can just call me John, though. Some people call me J.J.," he added in a friendly manner.

I nodded slightly. "Nice to meet you."

"Ahh, well you're probably wondering how I know you're name. My wife actually works with Dr. Cullen so we've known the family for the last couple of years. He always tells her about his lawyer son in New York so I was very excited to meet you. I just opened a new law firm here in Seattle," he said, reaching inside his suit jacket pocket and retrieving a small silver box. He opened it up and took one of his businesses cards out and handed it to me. "I practice criminal law like you and I'm currently looking to hire some new attorneys. Since the firm is fairly new, I want to make sure that I hire the best, and from what I've heard, you're one of the best."

I chuckled softly as I looked up at him from the business card I was reading. "Mr. Jenks—"

"John," he corrected with a smile.

"John," I nodded. "This is an honor, but…my wife and I…we live in New York. I'm working at a very respectable law firm there and she's a journalist who is very happy with her job right now. I don't think…I don't think I can accept your offer."

John nodded in understanding and offered me a subtle smile. "I understand. But just consider it. You'd be starting out in a whole new place and with your experience, I think you would make an incredible asset to the firm."

"Thank you, sir," I responded politely.

"No thanks necessary," he smiled. "And if you do change your mind, you can call me or send me your resume. My e-mail, work phone, and cell phone are all on the card, so you can contact me whenever you want."

I nodded and thanked him again as I put the business card in my jacket pocket.

"And it's Edward, right?" he added. I nodded in affirmation. "Alright, well, Edward…I really hope to hear from you." And with that, he turned around and disappeared into the crowd of people.

I sighed and completely forgot about the drinks I was getting. I turned around and saw them sitting on the bar so I grabbed them—balancing two in each hand—and walked back to the table, only to see that Bella was now alone. She looked up at me as I set the drinks down on the table and sat down beside her.

"Hey, I'm sorry for not giving you any warning earlier and then basically leaving you to tell Carlisle and Esme everything," Bella blurted out in a rush. I could tell she had been sitting there, anxiously awaiting my arrival so that she could apologize.

I shook my head and grasped her hand in mine. "Don't apologize. I'm glad we did it."

"I just had this rush of…I don't know…adrenaline, after you told me everything was alright between you and Alice. I felt like I could do anything. I guess I was wrong," she said, smiling wryly.

"You did fine, love. I'm glad we were finally honest with them," I soothed her gently. "I feel so much…lighter now."

Bella nodded and squeezed my hand gingerly. "Me too."

"Where did my parents go?" I asked when I remembered they were no longer at the table.

"Well you took forever, so they decided to go dancing," she teased, smiling at me.

"Yea, sorry about that. Some man came up to me, offered me a position at his law firm."

"Really? Wow, that's amazing. What did he say?" she asked excitedly.

"He just opened up a new law firm here and he wanted to know if I was interested in a position. His wife works with Carlisle so he's heard about me," I explained dismissively. There was no way that I could seriously consider the job—even though the more I talked about it, the more appealing it all sounded.

Bella and I would start out in a whole new place. She would definitely be able to find an amazing job here with her tremendous writing skills; she could even take some time off and finish her book. We would be closer to our family, including Charlie. We could go visit him in Forks whenever we wanted.

But Bella and I had our whole lives back in New York. She had to up and leave everything behind for me once and I couldn't possibly ask her to do it again.

"Well, what did you say?" she asked me, bringing me out of my musings.

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at her again. "Uh, I told him we lived in New York and we both had careers and everything there, so I couldn't accept his offer."

Bella stared at me for a minute before sitting back in her chair and nodding minutely. She shifted her focus to her lap and I wondered if she was upset about something.

"Are you okay?" I asked her softly.

"Yea," she replied quietly, looking up at me and forcing a small smile. "Did you at least get his number?"

I nodded. "Yea, he gave me his card," I said as I reached inside my suit jacket and pulled it out, handing it to her.

She took it from me gently and looked it over. "The Law Offices of J. Jenks. He has a cool name," she laughed softly, causing me to chuckle in response. "Well aren't you 'Mr. Big Time Lawyer'?" she teased, handing the card back to me. "People are handing you business cards now."

"I'm hardly a big time lawyer. I just have a father who can't stop bragging about his children," I joked.

Bella laughed quietly and let out a small sigh. "Either way, it's still an amazing opportunity, Edward." She paused for a moment, hesitating, and I could tell that she wasn't sure if she wanted to say what was on her mind. "Are you even going to consider it?" she asked so quietly that I had to strain to hear her.

"No, I don't think so," I replied.

"Why not?" she questioned, and I could tell she was trying hard to keep her tone casual.

I shrugged. "We live in New York. You have your job there, I'm working at the firm. I don't see how we can just up and leave everything behind."

"But this is a great opportunity for you, Edward," she pressed.

"Bella, you said the same thing when I was offered that internship in New York five years ago. And I tore you away from your family and friends in Forks and moved you across the country."

"Edward, I love you," she stated fiercely. "I would have flown across the _world_ for you. It doesn't matter to me, it _never_ mattered to me. All I want is for you to be happy."

"And I want _you_ to be happy, Bella" I countered.

"I'm happy anywhere as long as I'm with you."

Her words made my heart clench as I let out a shaky breath. "What about your job? The magazine?" I prompted.

She shook her head. "Edward, forget about all the details for a minute and just listen to me, okay?" She paused and after I nodded my affirmation, she continued. "I miss my family," she stated simply. I opened my mouth to respond, but she went on quickly, "I feel like we're so far away from everyone. Being here for the last few weeks made me realize how much I truly do miss them. And Charlie…I haven't seen him in over a _year_," she said, her voice breaking slightly.

"Where is this all coming from?" I asked her, confused. I had been having these same thoughts for the last few weeks as well and I had no idea she was feeling the same way.

She shrugged. "I don't know. It's just something I've been thinking about lately. After my talk with Alice earlier…I just…I've been thinking about it all night. I didn't realize how much I miss seeing everyone. How much I miss being close to everyone."

"I know," I stated, my voice rough. "I miss them, too."

She let out a shaky sigh and looked down at her lap again as I turned my attention to the table. "But…Bella, you have a career in New York," I pointed out. "I can't ask you to leave everything behind again. You did that for me once."

She looked up at me again, tears in her eyes. "But, Edward, don't you see? It's not just for you this time. It's for me, too. I miss my family. And I know you do, too."

"I do," I nodded. "I do, I just…it seems like a really big decision to make."

"It _is_ a big decision, but we need to make it together. Edward, what do you want to do?"

"Whatever you want to do," I replied softly.

"No, Edward," she said, shaking her head. "What do _you_ want to do?"

I searched her eyes for a moment, never breaking her gaze, as I contemplated my answer. I already knew what I was going to say, but I was wary of voicing it out loud. After battling with myself a moment longer, I finally gave her my answer.

"I want to move back to Washington."

Bella stared at me for a really long time and I was starting to feel a little nervous under her gaze.

"Good," she finally said. "Because I do, too."

I couldn't help the smile that broke out across my face and I didn't think twice before leaning in and capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me closer to her as I wound my arms tightly around her waist. A throat cleared from beside us and we both looked up just as one of the guests walked by, looking at us with a mixture of amusement and unease on his face. Bella blushed deeply as I chuckled and watched the man walk by.

"Well, that was awkward," she said softly.

I looked back at her and brushed her hair back behind her neck. "What about your job?" I asked, repeating my question from earlier and picking up our conversation again.

"I'm a writer, Edward. I'm sure with some time I can find something here. Esme was actually just telling me about one of her friends whose a senior editor for the _Seattle Times_."

"You don't have to work right away, you know," I told her. "You could always finish your novel. Get it published."

Bella scoffed. "Wishful thinking."

"I'm serious, Bella," I stated firmly.

Her smile faded and she placed a hand on the side of my face. "I love you, you know?"

I chuckled and leaned into her touch. "I know."

"So we're really doing this?" she asked me excitedly.

I let out a heavy breath and nodded. "Yea, I mean, there's a lot of stuff we still need to figure out, but…I'm going to call John Jenks as soon as we get back to New York. We can go from there?" I asked, making sure she knew that we were both in this together.

She nodded and leaned in to kiss my lips chastely. "Yes, Edward," she whispered against my lips. "We can go from there."

* * *

**Author's Note: ****Okay, so there are only one or two more chapters left before the epilogue. I'm guessing it's going to be one, but I just have to wait and see how it pans out. We are almost to the end :( I'm going to be so sad when this story is over and I'm going to miss you guys like crazy, so let's just not think about it right now ;) Thank you for reading!**


	24. The Last Night

**_Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer._**

**Author's Note: This is the last chapter before the epilogue :( which is why it took so long to post. I wanted to make sure it was everything I wanted it to be and I am very happy with how it turned out. Plus, I wanted to prolong the inevitable end as much as possible. I'm really going to miss this story. Oh, and this chapter is _long_. Over twenty pages. I think it's the longest chapter I have written for this story…possibly the longest chapter I have written, ever. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

* * *

_**Bella POV**_

Edward was beautiful when he slept. I knew I had told him this before when he had woken up and caught me staring, but I couldn't get over the way the sun would shine on his face, making him seem so peaceful.

I reached my hand out and gently stroked the side of his face, enjoying the small sigh that escaped his mouth. His eyes slowly fluttered open until his vibrant green eyes met my brown ones. I didn't even try to hide the fact that I had been shamelessly watching him.

"Good morning," he murmured, placing his hand over my own that was still caressing the side of his face.

"Morning, Edward," I whispered, leaning in and pressing my lips gently to his, not even caring what my breath smelled like this early in the morning.

Edward didn't seem to care either as he deepened the kiss, placing his free hand on my hip to pull me closer. When he finally pulled away, I was breathing rather heavily and he gave me my favorite crooked smile.

"Proud of yourself?" I teased, moving back slightly so that I could see him better. We were both on our sides facing each other; Edward's arm was still draped lazily across my waist.

"Hey, any guy who can make their girl breathless at eight o' clock in the morning has something to be damned proud _of_," he quipped.

I rolled my eyes playfully, but couldn't contain the small laugh that escaped my mouth. "Well then, you should be pretty smug right now."

"Oh, I am," he smiled.

I smiled back and reached out to play with his white t-shirt. "Last night was fun," I murmured, staring down at his chest as I drew lazy patterns across it with my fingers.

"Mmm, it was. I still can't believe my mother got drunk."

"She wasn't drunk, she was tipsy," I defended, laughing lightly.

"Bella, Carlisle had to carry her to the car and then up to their bedroom."

"Hey, it wasn't her fault Rosalie made her play that stupid drinking game with her. Drink every time Alice squeals? Honestly."

Edward chuckled and nodded. "You have a point there. I mean, even Emmett had to quit after the sixth time Alice got overly excited about something."

"And you and I didn't even bother playing," I reminded him.

"Well yea, I didn't want to have to hold your hair back while you puked your brains out later that night," he joked.

"I would not have puked," I argued. "I know how to hold my liquor."

"Hmm…true," he murmured.

A small smile broke out across my face. "Alice and Jasper are getting married tomorrow," I said softly, speaking my thoughts aloud. I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that they were finally getting married.

"No shit, Sherlock," Edward teased.

I punched him lightly in the stomach, but he clutched it as if the wind had been knocked out of him. "Stop teasing me," I told him, pouting as I watched him fake gasp for air.

"Jesus, woman, was that necessary?" he asked me.

"Quit being a baby, I barely tapped you."

"Oh yea?" he prompted, raising his eyebrows.

I nodded and suddenly, Edward was on top of me, pinning my body down with his own. "What are you doing?" I laughed breathlessly.

"You need to learn a lesson, Bella. Hitting people isn't nice," he mock-scolded me.

I contained the eye roll and simply reached up and pressed my lips firmly to his, knowing it would shut him up. It did. "Teach me later," I whispered against his mouth. "Right now, I really need a shower." I sat up, effectively moving him off of me as I walked toward the bathroom.

"Wait, you're just going to leave me here like this?" he called after me.

I turned around and looked at him confused. "Like what?"

He looked down pointedly toward his lap and I gasped, placing a hand over my mouth as I saw Edward's erection standing tall and proud through his black boxer-briefs.

"Hmm," I shrugged. "I guess I am."

"Fuck, Bella!" he yelled as I closed the bathroom door behind me and giggled all the way to the shower.

I took an extra long time washing my body and my hair, shaving my legs so that they would be nice and smooth for the wedding tomorrow. I hopped out and wrapped my towel around myself before exiting the bathroom, only to see that the bed was made and Edward was nowhere to be found.

I quickly got dressed for the day, brushing my hair back and putting on some light make-up. As I went to put the towel in the bathroom to dry, I glanced down and saw a folded up note on the ground in front of the bathroom door. I leaned down and picked it up, laughing and shaking my head when I saw that it was a note from Edward.

_I still can't believe you did that. You're lucky I love you so damn much._

_-Edward_

My heart constricted at his words and I smiled widely as I folded the piece of paper back up and tucked it under my book that was resting on the night stand. I went downstairs and had breakfast with the family—they had taken the day off to prepare for the wedding.

And that was how we spent the majority of the day. Esme, Rosalie, and I helped Alice make sure all the last minute wedding stuff was taken care of and shooed the men away when they offered to help—more people doing the work would only complicate things and stress the bride out.

It was almost six in the evening by the time Alice made her last phone call to the band to confirm their appearance at the reception the next night. Esme was in the kitchen cooking dinner with Carlisle, and the three boys were in the den playing video games. Rosalie, Alice, and I were seated in the living room, cleaning up the papers from the coffee table that we had used to make lists and cross off things we had already done.

"Less than twenty-four hours," Rosalie reminded Alice with a sly smile once everything was clean and the three of us got comfortable on the couch.

"I know," Alice sighed, smiling wistfully. "Less than twenty-four hours."

I smiled at Alice's happiness, happy myself that she and Jasper were so perfect for each other. And happy myself for finding the right person to make me happy as well.

As if sensing my thoughts, Edward walked into the living room a minute later. "Hey, are you guys done?" he asked us quietly.

Alice nodded. "Yup, everything's taken care of."

Edward nodded in response before turning to me. "Do you want to take a little fieldtrip with me?" he asked gently, almost shyly.

"Oh, don't tell us you're going to have a quickie before dinner," Rosalie groaned.

She and Alice both burst into fits of giggles, but Edward and I stared at each other intensely. Something about the look on his face told me that he had something important to show me.

"Yea," I replied numbly, getting up and walking toward him. He smiled softly at me, one side of his mouth lifting a little higher, as he took my hand. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

"Come on, Edward," Alice laughed. "You know the girl hates surprises."

I ignored her comment and walked with Edward toward the front door, stopping to slip my coat on.

"Oh, are you taking her now?" Esme asked, smiling as she walked into the foyer where we were, drying her hands on a dish towel.

"Yea," Edward smiled. "We'll be back in time for dinner, don't worry." He kissed his mother tenderly on the cheek.

"You know where we're going?" I asked her, a little anxious about what it could be.

"Of course. His father and I had to give him the key," she replied.

"Key?" I asked, confused.

"Alright," Edward interjected with a small chuckle, taking my hand again. "Before you ruin it, we're going to go."

"Have fun," Esme said, kissing my cheek and waving goodbye as Edward led me to Carlisle's car. I got in silently as Edward closed the door behind me and got into the driver's side.

I didn't even bother asking him where we were going because I knew it would be a futile attempt. I simply sat in silence as the city passed us by. Eventually, the buildings got further and further apart until we were on a long stretch of highway surrounded by nothing but trees. It reminded me so much of how it was in Forks.

We passed a couple of large houses until finally, about thirty minutes later, Edward turned onto a long driveway and pulled up in front of a rather large house surrounded by tall trees and open land.

I hadn't been here in a few years, but I knew instantly that this was Carlisle and Esme's home. The one they had moved into after moving out of Forks. It was much like the one they had in Forks, the one I had practically grew up in, as it was very secluded and encased by forestry. Carlisle and Esme always liked being far away from the big city.

I got out of the car once Edward had parked and he walked around the front of the car to meet me, taking my hand in his and leading me up the porch steps to the front door. I noticed him cradling something in his arm, but he was purposely holding it in a way so that I couldn't see what it was. I watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a single key and put it inside the lock, effortlessly pushing the door open.

"That's the key Esme was talking about?" I asked him as we walked into the large foyer. I looked around, noting that the house was beautiful as always and hadn't changed much since the last time I had been there.

"The very one," he smirked, setting the key on the table in the foyer and shedding his coat.

"What are we doing here, Edward?" I asked him seriously, becoming slightly frustrated at his evasiveness. I was trying to be patient, but it was killing me not knowing what was going on.

"Come with me," he said simply, walking past me toward the large living room that housed several floor to ceiling windows.

I watched, confused, as Edward walked over to the grand piano sitting on the far side of the room, next to one of the larger windows. I recognized it immediately as the same piano that had been in the Cullen house where I had practically grown up. It was also the same one that Edward spent hours sitting in front of, composing music and then playing it for me when I pleaded enough. He sat down on the bench and it was then that I saw what he had been holding—the leather bound journal I had given him for his birthday. He placed it in front of him, along with a few music sheets, and then turned to me.

"I wrote something for you," he said nervously, watching me watch him. "And I wanted to play it for you."

I stood there, mouth hanging open slightly, as I stared at him. I walked forward slowly and stood behind Edward as I peered into the open journal. I saw his beautiful handwriting scrawled along the pages where he had written out notes and melodies, brainstorming. Next to that was his sheet music, where he had put everything together neatly.

I was speechless.

"You wrote something for me?" I asked, my voice shaking slightly.

He nodded, tugging on my arm gently until I was sitting beside him on the bench.

"You've always been the biggest inspiration for my music, Bella. After you gave me the journal, I started composing this song. This melody has been in my head for the longest time, but I haven't been able to finish it. Not until a couple of weeks ago."

I stared at him in awe, not trusting my voice to speak just yet. I couldn't believe that I inspired Edward. "I inspire you?" I finally choked out, speaking my thoughts aloud.

Edward chuckled, probably at my stunned expression, and lifted his hand, tucking a strand piece of hair behind my ear. "Everyday," he whispered.

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat and quickly wiped my stupid tears away, exhaling a heavy breath. "You inspire me, too, Edward," I replied honestly. He leaned in, eyeing my lips longingly, but I pulled back. "Play it for me first," I whispered pleadingly.

He looked into my eyes, searching for a moment, before he nodded and sat back, placing his hands on the keys and straightening his back slightly. The last time I had sat with Edward while he played music like this was last Christmas. We were in our apartment and he was playing jingle bells as I sang along.

The first time I had sat with Edward while he played the piano, we were seventeen. And he played me what he referred to as my lullaby.

Sitting here with Edward now was the most amazing thing in the world. And as the opening notes of the song began, I couldn't take my eyes off of Edward's face. The song's melody was absolutely beautiful, and as I sat there watching the man that I loved playing a song he had written for me, I was overcome with a flurry of emotions.

Eventually, I looked down at the keys and closed my eyes as Edward continued to play the soft melody. I became lost in the music, and slowly, as the music faded away and Edward played the last few notes, I opened my eyes. The last note rang in the air for a moment as I turned to see Edward watching me closely.

"Did you like it?" he asked me.

I nodded. "Yea," I said, my voice hoarse from my tears.

"Thank you, Bella," he whispered, looking at me intensely.

"For what?" I asked him curiously.

"Everything."

XxXxX

"Can I ask you something?" I questioned Edward twenty minutes later when we were back on the road heading toward the lake house. At his nod, I continued, "Why did you want to come all the way to Carlisle and Esme's house to play the song? They have that piano in the den."

Edward watched the road carefully for a moment before reaching across the center console and taking my hand in his. "I wanted to play that song for you on the same piano that I played on while we were growing up. The same one where I played your lullaby."

My heart clenched at his words and I squeezed his hand tightly. "Thank you, Edward."

"For what, Bella?" he asked, glancing at me.

I smiled slightly. "Everything."

XxXxX

"Bella, does my hair look okay?"

I looked down at Alice just as Esme put the last rhinestone in Alice's hair for her. "Beautiful," I replied honestly.

She smiled up and me and took my hand in hers, squeezing it gently. "Gah, I am so nervous!"

"Why are you nervous? You're marrying a sexy man, you both have wonderful careers, and the sex is going to be fantastic," Rosalie stated bluntly, handing us each a glass of champagne.

"Rosalie," Esme chided playfully.

Rosalie shrugged. "What? It's the truth. I mean, Jasper looks like the kind of guy who knows how to use what the good lord gave him."

"Rose!" I scolded sternly. "What would Emmett think?"

"About what? I'm just being honest," she defended, finishing off her glass of champagne.

"Lay off the alcohol," I told her, taking the bottle of bubbly out of her hand. "It makes you frisky."

"You like it frisky, Bella?" she teased me.

"Shut up," I said, rolling my eyes, but smiling nonetheless.

"Alright," Alice said, causing us all to turn and look at her as she stood up and walked to the center of the room. "How do I look?" she asked, looking at the three of us nervously.

"You look radiant, sweetheart," Esme said sincerely, choking slightly on the tears that were threatening to escape.

"Absolutely," Rosalie added, smiling brightly.

"Flawless," I chimed in.

Alice smiled at each of us gratefully as Rosalie walked over and helped her put on her veil. Esme took a glass of champagne off of the small table in the room and walked over to me.

"How was it, Bella?" Esme asked me. At my confused look, she clarified, "The song Edward composed for you. How was it?"

I smiled at the memory of the beautiful song Edward had written for me. After returning to the lake house and having dinner with the family last night, Edward and I had retreated to our bedroom early. I wanted to show him how much the song had meant to me, and I did. I had made love to him all night, whispering my love for him over and over again as we both came undone together. I blushed slightly at that because his mother was standing right in front of me, looking at me with an all-knowing smile on her face.

"Um," I said, clearing my throat. "It was beautiful, Esme. Absolutely beautiful."

She nodded, smiling sweetly at me. "I know, he played it for me the other night. I hope you don't mind, he just wanted to get my opinion," she added quickly.

I shook my head. "Of course I don't mind."

"It brought me to tears, it was so beautiful," she said.

"I know. Me too."

"I'm really glad you two worked things out, Bella," Esme said, her voice full of emotion as fresh tears fell down her face.

I couldn't stop the tears that fell down my own face at her words and I looked down quickly, sniffing them back. "I know," I whispered.

"Hey," she said gently, hooking her finger under my chin and lifting my head up to look at her. "No matter what, you and Edward will always find your way back to each other. Because it's meant to be. It has always been meant to be, Bella."

I searched her eyes for a moment through my tear-filled ones and saw nothing but sincerity and truth. "It's always been meant to be," I murmured, mirroring her statement.

Her smile grew wider and she leaned in, wrapping her arms around me in a firm embrace.

"I love you so much, Bella Cullen," she whispered into my hair.

I smiled and held her tighter. "I love you, too…Mom."

She squeezed me back just as Rosalie and Alice looked at the two of us. "What's with the crying fest already?" Rosalie asked us. "Isn't that supposed to happen _during_ the ceremony?"

Esme and I both chuckled and pulled away from each other. Esme held onto one of my hands as she reached her other arm out toward Rosalie and Alice. "Come here, you two," she said to them.

Rosalie and Alice both walked over to us and we all wrapped our arms around one another tightly. "All of my girls," Esme murmured.

"This is so cliché," Rosalie complained, though I could hear the smile in her voice.

"Shut up and enjoy the moment, Rosalie," Alice scolded. "These moments don't last forever."

"Thank God for that," Rosalie quipped.

"You really know how to ruin a sentimental moment, don't you, Rose?" I teased her playfully as the four of us continued to hold onto one another.

"Fine," she huffed. "How I love you all dearly. There, happy?"

We laughed at Rosalie's sarcasm before finally pulling away. Right at that second, someone knocked on the door and then it was opened to reveal Carlisle standing there, smiling at us brightly.

"Are you guys ready?" he asked us. His face turned into one of worry when he took in our expressions. "Why are you all crying?"

"We had a moment," Alice laughed softly.

I nodded, wiping my own tears away while Alice and Esme did the same. I glanced at Rosalie just as she, too, lifted her hand to wipe a few stray tears away. She had always been the one to hide her emotions and we rarely saw Rosalie get emotional—she was the master of hiding her feelings. But I could still see the tears in her eyes and stained on her cheeks and I knew there was no way she could talk her way out of this one.

"Rosalie, you're—"

"Crying? Yea, I know!" she interrupted me, frustrated, as she hastily wiped the remaining tears away.

Alice and I laughed slightly as Rosalie walked over to the table and grabbed a few tissues, dabbing at her face and using the large mirror on the wall to fix her make-up.

"Are you ready, Alice?" Esme asked her daughter softly.

I looked at Alice as she let out a deep breath and nodded. "Yea," she said, "I'm ready."

After Rosalie fixed her make-up and helped me freshen myself up a bit as well, we each grabbed our bouquets and made our way out of the hotel room, down the hall, and to the elevators. The ride down was quiet as Alice stood between Rosalie and I, holding our hands tightly. I smiled at her before looking in front of us where Carlisle and Esme were standing, arms wrapped around each other lovingly.

The elevator tinged when we reached the lobby and once the doors opened, Esme turned and kissed Alice on the cheek and said her goodbyes to us as she walked ahead and into the ballroom to take her seat in the front row. Rosalie and I walked to the double doors outside of the ballroom that Esme had just entered, Alice and Carlisle behind us.

"Okay, Rose, you first," I said tensely.

Rosalie rolled her eyes at me and shoved me in front of her as she stepped behind me. "Bella, we rehearsed this. You're shorter than me. You go first."

"But what if I trip and fall?" I dreaded. "At least if you're in front of me, I can concentrate on you and keep my balance."

"Yea right, you'll probably take me down with you," she replied, chuckling at her own humor.

I huffed and turned back around. "If I fall, I'm killing you," I said through gritted teeth.

"Alright, but can you at least do it after we cut the cake? I've been dying to get a taste of that thing."

I chuckled quietly and rolled my eyes as I nodded to the two men on either side of the double doors. They each nodded in return and opened the doors slowly. I peered into the large ballroom, at all of the people seated on either side of the aisle, and I slowly began my walk. I was halfway down the aisle, holding my breath and concentrating hard on keeping my balance, when I glanced up and saw him.

Edward was standing beside Jasper and Emmett, watching me with a small smile on his face. Suddenly, my entire body relaxed and I no longer worried about falling down on my face. In that moment, a storm of memories came flooding back to me. The first time I had met Edward, our night at prom, the day we got married, our three month long separation, the first night we slept in the same bed at the lake house…the night on the boat…the song…my song. Everything came back to me. Even the memory of the time we spent apart didn't hurt as much as it used to. The pain was still there, but now it simply served as a memory and reminder of all we had overcome.

_We will always find our way back to each other because we were meant to be. We were always meant to be._

I didn't take my eyes off of him until I reached my place and turned to face everyone that was seated before us. Rosalie took her place next to me and she nudged my shoulder softly as the pianist began to play the traditional wedding march and the double doors opened to reveal Alice and Carlisle.

Alice really was a beautiful bride and she seemed to smile at each and every person she walked past until her eyes locked with Jasper's. Carlisle took Jasper and Alice's hands and clasped them together before kissing Alice on the top of her head and taking his seat beside Esme. I looked behind Carlisle and Esme and saw my mother and stepfather, and then my father. I had only seen them briefly before the reception as they had all come in only a few hours before the wedding started.

As Alice and Jasper began exchanging their personal vows, I glanced over at Edward and just as I did, he looked up at me. Our eyes locked in an intense stare as Alice and Jasper expressed their love for one another. We finally broke away from our gaze when the Pastor said, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Rosalie's cat call was heard even above the roaring applause that overtook the entire ballroom as everyone leapt to their feet and smiled at the newlyweds. I couldn't hold back the few happy tears that fell from my face at the sight of two people so in love.

XxXxX

The reception afterwards was a beautiful affair. The banquet hall that Alice and Jasper had shown Edward and me during the first couple of days we had been here had been transformed into a breathtaking wedding reception. Edward and I were seated at a table with my parents and stepfather, Phil, as the band continued another set and couples danced in the middle of the dance floor.

"So, any grandchildren yet?" my mother asked us coyly.

"Mom," I groaned.

"Always knew how to embarrass the poor kid, didn't you?" Charlie chuckled.

"I'm her mother, it's my job," she defended playfully before looking back at Edward and me. "So?" she prompted.

"No, no grandchildren yet," I sighed, blushing three shades of red. "Why do people keep asking us that?"

"Because you've been married for three years. We've all been waiting patiently," she replied, smiling slightly.

"Soon," Edward said before I had the chance to respond. He placed his arm around my shoulders and squeezed me reassuringly.

"See, now _that_ is a response, Bella," my mother teased.

I looked at Edward and smiled gratefully just as Phil and my mother excused themselves to go out on the dance floor.

"So, how are things in New York?" my father asked us, taking a long drink from his glass of wine.

Edward and I exchanged a quick glance. We had talked about telling my parents what had happened between us and ultimately decided to keep it short and sweet. We had told them that Edward and I had just come out of a rough patch in our marriage and were on the verge of divorce. We told them it was a moment of weakness and stupidity, and thankfully we got our heads straight before it was too late.

Renee had immediately asked for details, but Charlie had saved us, saying that that was between Edward and me and that we had told them all we needed to and would only delve into details if that was what we wanted. I shot him a thankful look when he had done that. My father had always been a very private person, and even though we were extremely close, there had always been this quietness about him. He wasn't cold or distant, but he was subdued, reserved. He kept mostly to himself which was why it had been so easy living with him. The two of us were like each other in that way and details weren't shared about certain things unless they were absolutely necessary.

"Things have been good," I replied simply.

"So if Edward's been living at the apartment, where have you been, Bella?" he asked conversationally.

I was relieved that Charlie was so easy-going about this. Even after we had told him about initially lying to the Cullens upon first arriving, he had simply nodded and mumbled his understanding, knowing me well enough to know that I never did anything without good reason. And not wanting to hurt my family was good reason.

"I've been staying in a small apartment about twenty minutes away from my work," I replied honestly.

Charlie nodded and took another sip of his wine. "So, what's gonna happen when you guys go back? You gonna get another apartment? Maybe buy a house?"

Edward and I looked at each other again and smiled slightly. This was something we hadn't told anyone else. I really wanted Charlie to be the first to know.

"Actually, we're moving to Seattle," I said. Charlie's head snapped up and he looked at me, shocked. "Yea," I continued, nodding slightly. "Edward got offered a position at a new law firm here and I'm planning to work on my writing more. Esme even knows an editor at the _Seattle Times_, so I'm going to call in for an interview as soon as we're settled."

"You're moving back to Washington?" Charlie asked, the excitement evident in his quiet tone.

I nodded. "Yea, dad," I whispered. "We're gonna be right here in Seattle, closer to Edward's family and…closer to you." I choked slightly on the last word as the tears arose once again. I got out of my seat and walked over to my father, leaning down and wrapping my arms around him in a tight hug. He hugged me back just as firmly.

"I missed you so much, Bella," he whispered into my hair.

"I know," I murmured. "I missed you, too."

I pulled away from him, but he kept one arm around my waist as he looked over at Edward. "And Edward?" he prompted. "I sort of…missed you, too," he said.

Edward smiled slightly and stood up, extending his hand out to Charlie. They shook hands and Edward patted my father on the back as the band began to play a slow song.

"Uh, Edward?" my father started hesitantly as he stood up and dropped both of his arms to his sides. "Would you mind if I stole my little girl away for a dance?"

My jaw practically unhinged at that—Charlie was like me and avoided dancing at all costs.

"Of course," Edward smiled.

I smiled at him and took my dad's hand as he led me to the dance floor. I felt so much like a little girl again as I hugged him tight and we swayed to the music.

"Bella," he said after a moment of silence, "I know I don't tell you this nearly as much as I should, but I just wanted you to know…" he trailed off.

"Yea, dad?"

"I just wanted you to know that…I'm really proud of you, kid."

I squeezed my eyes shut tight to keep the tears away as I wrapped my arms around my father tighter. "Thank you, daddy," I whispered.

XxXxX

The night continued for hours after that until finally the limo arrived to take Jasper and Alice to the airport. They had packed their things the night before and Esme and Carlisle had arranged for their things to be brought in a limo so that they could leave for their honeymoon right after the reception. I was extremely envious that they were going to Paris for their honeymoon, and Edward chuckled at my pout, kissing me softly on the lips and promising to take me there someday soon.

I hugged and kissed Alice and Jasper goodbye, tears filling my eyes at their departure, when I remembered that Edward and I were moving to Seattle and we would be seeing them again soon. This wasn't goodbye for long.

"Have fun, Alice," Edward said, hugging his sister tightly and kissing her on the cheek.

"Thank you, Edward. We'll call when we get there, okay? When are you guys going back to New York?" she asked us.

"Tomorrow night," I replied.

Alice's face fell slightly. "So…will we see you guys on Christmas?"

"Yes," Edward said.

"And every single one after that," I added.

Alice eyed us with a confused expression on her face. "That's expensive. Flying out to Seattle every Christmas."

"True," Edward nodded. "So good thing we won't be, huh?"

"What are you guys talking about?" she asked, shaking her head to clear her thoughts.

"Alice, we're moving to Seattle," Edward stated calmly.

Alice's mouth opened and closed a few times before she covered it with her hand and began shaking her head. I watched in amusement as she stared at us with wide eyes.

"Are you okay, Alice?" Edward chuckled.

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, you _better_ not be screwing with me right now," she stated sternly once she had dropped her hand from her mouth.

"We aren't, Alice," I assured her.

Alice's face broke out into a wide smile as she jumped forward and hugged Edward and I both at the same time. "Oh my God! I can't believe this! You guys are really coming!"

"Who's coming?" Jasper asked us curiously as he walked over to us.

"That's what she said," Emmett quipped as he joined us.

"Edward and Bella are moving to Seattle!" Alice squealed.

"What?" Rosalie asked, shocked, having overheard us from where she was standing on the steps of the hotel. She quickly walked over to us. "You guys are moving to Seattle? What? When? How? Who?"

"Breathe, Rose. Just breathe," I soothed her, placing my hand on her arm.

"Hey, what are you two doing?" Carlisle asked as he and Esme approached us and addressed Alice and Jasper. "You're going to miss your flight."

"Edward and Bella are moving to Seattle!" Emmett bellowed, a hint of awe in his voice.

Esme's mouth fell open as she turned to look at Edward and I. "Is that true?" she asked, her voice quietly hopeful.

"Yea," Edward replied. "It's true."

Esme quickly came forward and hugged Edward and I both fiercely and Carlisle did the same right after. It was definitely not the way we had envisioned telling everyone, but it was just one of those things that happened in the moment. And I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

After Edward and I briefly explained our decision, Jasper and Alice said one final goodbye to everyone and hurried to their limo so that they wouldn't miss their flight. After they left, Edward and I spent the remainder of the night with Renee, Phil and Charlie. Carlisle and Esme joined us and caught up with my parents for a while. My mother was excited about mine and Edward's move, even if it still meant we wouldn't be living that close to her. After my mother and Phil left to go to their hotel room, Edward and I saw Charlie off with the promise to call him and keep him updated on our move—he wanted to come to Seattle and help us get settled.

Once most of the guests were gone, the rest of us stuck around a while longer to see the reception come to an end before we all piled into our own limo and headed back to the lake house.

"Ahh, that was one hell of a wedding," Emmett said as he cracked open a bottle of beer from the small bar inside the limo.

"It was," I agreed. "I'm ready to get out of this dress, though."

Rosalie agreed whole-heartedly just as we finally approached the lake house. The six of us got out of the limo and tiredly made our way inside. We sat around the living room for a couple of hours after we had all changed into our pajamas and played a few board games, passing the time slowly. When my exhaustion was finally getting the best of me, Carlisle suggested we call it a night. Edward and I had a flight to catch the next day and the others were going to be packing up to head home as well.

"Goodnight, beautiful," Edward murmured against my hair as he held me close to him while we lay in bed later that night.

"Night, Edward," I whispered, placing my hand over his arm that was draped across my waist, my back pressed against his warm chest. "I love you so much."

He kissed the back of my neck and nuzzled his nose into my hair. "I love you, too, angel."

I smiled warmly and fell asleep quickly, dreaming of green eyes and bronze hair.

XxXxX

The next day was hectic. Everyone was running around, cleaning up the lake house and getting everything in order. Rosalie, Esme, and I helped each other pack our bags while the guys went outside to tidy up the backyard and then go out on the dock to make sure the boat was secure.

We had a nice lunch together in the dining room—simple grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup that Esme had made. It reminded me of when we were kids.

Edward and I helped everyone put their packed bags into their respective cars, and by the time two o' clock in the afternoon rolled around, everyone was set and ready to go. Edward and I had our flight in about four hours and were already packed and ready to go as well.

Rosalie asked me to ride with her and Emmett to their house since I had yet to see it. I asked Edward to come along, but he said he was going to stick around at the lake house and see his parents off.

I hugged Esme and Carlisle goodbye with the promise of contacting them as soon as Edward and I got back to New York. We were going to keep them updated on our move.

After kissing Edward goodbye, I got into Emmett's Hummer and the three of us laughed and talked the whole way to their house.

Their house was absolutely beautiful. It wasn't too big and it wasn't too small. The neighborhood was also a very nice one and I could definitely see Rosalie and Emmett living here for a long time.

"You like?" Rosalie asked me as she hopped out.

"I love it," I replied sincerely.

Rosalie and Emmett decided to take out their luggage after I left, so we all walked into the house and after being given the grand tour, I settled in their breathtaking kitchen while Rosalie served me coffee and muffins.

We sat there talking for a couple of hours or so when I realized it was a little past four in the afternoon. "Oh, we better head back. Edward and I have our flight at six," I said hastily, getting up and putting my dish and coffee mug in the sink and rinsing them off.

"Don't worry, Bells, we'll get you back in time," Emmett called from his spot in the adjoining living room. His eyes were glued to the football game playing on the screen.

I turned to Rosalie. "Shouldn't we leave now?" I asked her.

Rosalie sat there sipping her coffee calmly. "Don't worry, Bella, we'll get you back in time."

"Yea, but the flight—"

"Bella," she interrupted, "We will get you back in time."

I stared at her confused and only grew more and more anxious as five o' clock grew nearer. Our flight left in a little over an hour and if we didn't leave now, there was no way we would make it.

"Is Edward coming here, then?" I guessed hopefully. "_Then_ you guys are gonna take us to the airport?"

"No," Rose shrugged. "We were just gonna go pick him up, then go."

"Rose, we have to leave now. The flight leaves in an hour," I reminded her apprehensively.

"Hold on a sec," she said, grabbing the phone off the counter and getting off her stool as she walked out of the kitchen.

I glanced at Emmett and saw that he was watching me with a wide smile on his face. "What?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "Nothing."

Rosalie walked back in a minute later, smiling slightly. "Alright, let's go," she said, grabbing her purse.

I exhaled a sigh of relief and grabbed my own purse. "Are you coming, Em?" I asked him.

"Nah, Rose can handle it," he replied.

"O-kay," I said, confused. I walked over to him and he stood up, giving me a huge hug before he kissed Rosalie on the lips and bid us farewell.

I was a little confused as to why Emmett wasn't coming with us to the airport, but I was so worried about possibly missing our flight that I didn't give it much thought.

We pulled up to the lake house about twenty minutes later and Rosalie only confused me further when she turned to me and said goodbye.

"What? You're taking us to the airport," I reminded her.

"No I'm not," she smiled.

"What? Rose—"

"Just go inside, Bella," she said calmly.

"Rose, you're really starting to piss me off," I told her sternly.

"Just. Go. Inside," she stated, putting emphasis on each and every word.

"What about the flight?" I asked her, raising my voice slightly.

"Don't worry about your precious flight. Just go inside."

I huffed a heavy breath before unbuckling my seatbelt angrily and opening the car door. Before I could slam it shut behind me, Rosalie said my name. I turned around and looked at her, raising my eyebrows.

"Call when you guys get to New York, okay?" she said sweetly. "I love you, Bella. And I can't wait for you and Edward to move out here."

I stood there with my mouth hanging open in confusion and shock as Rosalie leaned over and closed the car door before turning around and making her way back down the long, gravel driveway.

"What the hell?" I breathed out to no one in particular.

I shook my head and walked to the porch, climbing up the steps and turning the knob to the front door, thankful that it was open. I stepped inside and noticed that it was extremely dark and quiet in the lake house. I could, however, hear faint classical music playing from where I realized was the dining room.

I switched on the light in the foyer and gasped at the sight before me. On the ground, leaving a trail that disappeared into the kitchen, were rose pedals. Lots and lots of rose pedals. I slowly and hesitantly followed the trail through the living room, into the kitchen, until I finally made it to the dining room.

On the table were two candles, two place settings, and delicious food spread out. Sitting at the table, looking breathtaking as always, was Edward.

I stood there completely dumfounded for a moment as I finally registered that it was Debussy playing from the stereo. _Clair de Lune_—my favorite.

"What is this, Edward?" I asked when I finally found my voice.

"Happy Anniversary, Bella," he responded quietly.

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "What…anniversary?" I asked cautiously.

"Three years, Bella," he answered simply.

My eyes widened and my mouth opened slightly as all of the air left my lungs in a shocked gasp. Realization hit me when I finally understood what Edward was doing.

"We didn't get to have our night four months ago," he continued softly when I didn't say anything. "So, I want to have it now. I want to do what I had planned for you. I want to give you what I couldn't give you that night." His voice broke slightly on the last part and I wanted nothing more in that moment then to go to him and hold him, but I remained where I was, still too shocked to move.

"What do you say, Bella?" he asked softly after a moment of silence. He looked extremely nervous as he sat there watching me. "Will you spend the night with me?"

And those seven words were my undoing. I nodded my head without a second thought—my mouth still unable to form words—and I walked over to him. He stood up and took both of my hands in his, leaning down and kissing my lips gently.

"Yes, Edward," I whispered against his lips. "I want to spend every night for the rest of my life with you."

He smiled against my mouth before placing one more chaste kiss on my lips and pulling away. "I made you dinner," he said, motioning to the food on the table.

"When did you do all of this?" I asked, astonished, as he pulled out a chair for me and I sat down. He grabbed the bottle of red wine on the table and poured me a glass.

"After you left. Thankfully Carlisle and Esme were here to help me. And Emmett and Rosalie offered to keep you busy while we set everything up."

"That's why Emmett and Rosalie were being so weird," I murmured, shaking my head and smiling at their stealth as it all finally made sense to me.

Edward chuckled and nodded, sitting down next to me. "I told Carlisle and Esme my idea last night—and Emmett and Rosalie—while you were in the bathroom brushing your teeth. I've been trying to think of something special to do for you, and this seemed like the perfect thing. I wanted to get that night back. For both of us," he said seriously, taking my hand in his.

Tears formed in my eyes as his sweet words sunk in. "Thank you, Edward," I whispered.

"Anything for you, love," he murmured, kissing the tears on my cheeks away gently.

"What about our flight?" I asked him.

"I changed it for tomorrow afternoon. I wanted to spend one last night here with you. I hope that's okay."

My smile grew. "It's more than okay."

We ate dinner quietly, holding hands and sharing caresses the entire time. I helped Edward clean up afterward and blew out the candles before bending down to pick up the rose pedals.

"Leave them for now," Edward said, leaning down and brushing my hands away. "Come upstairs with me."

I stood up and followed him wordlessly as he led us upstairs to our bedroom. I froze in the doorway as I took in what Edward had done. The room was dark, but was illuminated by the many candles scattered around.

"Edward," I gasped.

"Come here, Bella," he said quietly, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

I numbly walked over to him and he wordlessly reached forward and unbuttoned the black pants I was wearing and pulled them down my legs. I braced my hands on his shoulders as I stepped out of them. He then took his time taking off my shoes and socks before reaching for the hem of my blouse and lifting it up and over my head until I was standing before him in just my black lace bra and matching underwear.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, placing a kiss to my stomach.

"Mmm," I moaned, reaching for the hem of his shirt.

He looked up at me, desire evident in his eyes, as he helped me pull his shirt off. I leaned down and pressed my lips firmly to his as I unbuckled his belt and he lifted his hips off the bed to help me slide them off. His shoes went next until he was finally wearing only his black boxer-briefs.

Edward moved back onto the bed and pulled me with him until his head rested against the pillows and I was straddling his lap. He reached behind me and unclasped my bra effortlessly, tossing it to the side before hooking his fingers into the inside of my panties and pulling them off as well.

He rolled over on top of me and I wrapped my legs around his waist, toeing at his boxers until he finally slid them off and tossed them on the ground to join the rest of our clothes.

Within seconds, Edward was inside me. We both moaned loudly at the sensation and knowledge that we were alone in the house. Just us.

He began moving slowly in and out of me, the friction making me breathe and moan for more. His lips trailed down my neck to my collarbone as he continued to pump in and out of me, keeping his pace erotically slow.

"Edward," I moaned.

"God, Bella," he gasped in response, his pace picking up slightly. I moaned loudly when the tip of his cock hit a very sensitive spot deep inside me.

Edward lifted his head to look at me, his thrusts slowing down until he was back to his slow pace. "You're the love of my life, you know," he murmured, looking into my eyes with an enormous amount of intensity.

I nodded, lifting my hand and brushing his sweaty hair out of his face before cupping his cheek gently. "I know," I whispered. "You're the love of _my_ life, you know," I repeated back to him.

"I know," he whispered before leaning down and capturing my lips in a searing kiss as he picked up the pace again. His hand trailed down until his fingers found my clit and he began rubbing it fervently until I clenched around him and fell over the edge. Edward came soon after me, moaning into my neck as we both rode out our orgasms together.

He collapsed on top of me, both of us out of breath, before he pulled out of me and rolled over onto his back. I curled into his side immediately and he wrapped his arm around me, lifting the comforter out from under us before draping it over both of us.

Edward ran lazy fingers through my hair as I rested my head on his chest. "I can't believe everything that happened while we were here," I murmured, the events of the last four weeks finally catching up to me.

"I know," he said. "So much changed. _We_ changed."

"For the better?" I teased.

I felt him nod before he placed a gentle kiss to the top of my head. "For the better."

"So, what's going to happen? When we get back to New York, I mean," I asked him.

He let out a heavy sigh. "Well, we should probably call Felix. Tell him the divorce is off," he said. I nodded and snuggled into his side deeper. "Then we need to start looking for a house here in Seattle and get the moving process situated. I still have to call John Jenks about that position at the firm, and we both have letters of resignation to turn in."

"So much to do," I sighed.

"But we have time," Edward reassured me gently.

I lifted my head off his chest and looked into his deep green eyes. How I had gone three months without seeing them, I would never know. But I did know that I never wanted to go without them again.

"I am so in love with you, Edward Cullen," I said, my voice shaky and full of emotion.

He placed his hand on the side of my face and stroked my cheek gently with his thumb. "Isabella Cullen," he started, "you're mine for forever. And I'm never letting you go again."

My whole being froze at the intensity of his words and we searched each other's eyes for what seemed like hours before I finally found my voice. "I'm not going anywhere," I whispered, shaking my head slightly.

"Neither am I," he stated simply.

A small smile appeared on my face once again and I leaned in and pressed my lips to his.

"You know what we should be doing right now?" he asked.

"What's that?" I murmured against his mouth.

"Getting started on making those babies everyone's been asking about."

I froze and pulled away to meet his gaze again, only to see that he was completely serious.

"Don't take the pill anymore," he said quietly.

"What?" I breathed, shocked.

He trailed his hand down to my stomach and caressed it lovingly. "Carry my child, Bella" he whispered.

I swallowed hard and looked down at my stomach, loving the way his large hand looked splayed across it. I looked back into his eyes as he continued watching me, a non-relenting look of determination on his face. I placed my hand over his own that was caressing my stomach as I kept my eyes locked with his. Slowly and with purpose, I leaned into him until my mouth was barely touching his.

"Edward," I whispered, my voice shaky from the tears that were slowly starting to fall down my face. "I've never heard anyone say something so beautiful."

He watched me silently for a moment before one side of his mouth twitched up into a small smile. "Is that a yes?" he murmured.

"Of course," I said, laughing quietly through my tears.

He smiled wider and rolled over on top of me, kissing me fiercely as twilight set in over the lake outside the window, signaling the end to another day and the start of another night with Edward—my life—in my arms.

* * *

**Author's Note: The epilogue will be posted in about two weeks if not sooner. Thank you to each and every person who has read, reviewed, and supported me through out this story. You guys mean the world to me and I am so happy that I wrote this story and had the chance to share it with all of you. I look forward to hearing from you all. Thank you :)**


	25. Epilogue

**_Disclaimer: Everything Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer._**

**Author's Note: There are no words to describe how amazing you guys are. Posting the epilogue for this story is extremely bittersweet. I'm going to miss this story and all of my readers—you guys have no idea how much I appreciate each and every word of encouragement you have given me along the way. There is a long author's note at the end and I hope you all take the time to read it as it was written for each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. I just want to say, it was one hell of a ride getting here! And a quick note so there is no confusion: this chapter fast forwards several times and covers approximately three years. I hope you all enjoy it!**

* * *

**_Edward POV_**

Felix grabbed a file from his filing cabinet before walking over to us. He glanced at mine and Bella's clasped hands and I could have sworn that I saw a ghost of a smile appear on his face for half a second before he looked up at me and cleared his throat.

"Alright, I've had the proper papers taken care of. I just need you both to sign this, stating that you're both in agreement that you want the divorce terminated," he said as he sat in his chair and opened the folder, taking a small packet out and placing it in front of us. He flipped through the pages and signified where we should sign. We were all fairly quiet the entire time as Bella and I placed our signatures in every spot that Felix indicated.

Once we were finished, he took the packet and closed it up again, placing it back in the folder before looking at us. "I'm going to make a separate copy for the two of you and send it in about two weeks. Your address is the same?"

I glanced at Bella before looking back at Felix. "Yea, it is. But we're moving to Seattle in about three weeks."

Bella and I had been back in New York for about a month. It was the middle of August and we were hoping to be moved into our new home in time for Bella's 26th birthday on September 13th.

After retuning to New York, both Bella and I had gotten to work turning in our letters of resignations to our respective employers. I had called John Jenks the second week we had returned and had set up an interview with him at his firm for a week or so after Bella and I moved to Seattle. Although we were both sad to leave our home in New York, we were more than ready for a fresh start, and to be closer to our families.

"Really?" Felix asked with a surprised smile. "That's great. I'm very happy for you both."

"Thank you, Felix," Bella said softly. "Thank you for everything."

He smiled softly at her and nodded as he stood up. Bella and I followed his lead, getting out of our seats as well.

"I'm really very happy that things worked out for you both," he said sincerely. "I wish you nothing but the best in life." He reached out his hand to Bella and she shook it, smiling softly. He then put his hand out to me and I shook it as well.

"Thanks, Felix," I said, smiling at him genuinely. "You've been a great friend through all of this." And he had been. It didn't matter that he had been our divorce lawyer and was working strictly under his professional manner; he had been extremely understanding and supportive through out this entire ordeal and we owed him deeply for that.

"Goodbye, you two," he smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling.

"Bye, Felix," Bella waved as I took her hand.

"Take care of yourself," I said sincerely. He nodded in return and walked around his desk to escort Bella and I out of his office. We said our final goodbyes and he wished us luck moving to Seattle. Bella surprised us both when she leaned forward and gave him a tentative hug. After a few smiles, Bella and I walked out of the building and to my car, heading home to our already half-empty apartment.

Alice and my mother had gotten to work right away on finding us a home in Seattle. They had done the house hunting and sent us pictures and videos of places. It wasn't until their tenth stop that we knew we had found the home of our dreams. It was a four bedroom, two story house that was very spacious, but not too big for two people trying to start a family together. We had told Mom and Alice to put a bid on the house—it was still in the process of being finished—and a week later, it had been ours. It may have been odd to buy a house without having been inside it first, but I trusted my mother and Alice and the pictures and videos they had sent us had been extremely detailed and accurate. Another bright side was that it wasn't that far away from The Law Offices of John Jenks or from our family.

We had been shipping some of our furniture and other household items to Seattle gradually and our family was keeping it in storage until we got there, so our apartment was pretty empty except for our clothing and a ton of boxes that still needed to be shipped out.

"What are you thinking about?" Bella's soft voice brought me out of my musings.

I glanced at her and brought our intertwined hands to my lips, kissing the back of her hand softly as I drove us back to the apartment. "Our future," I replied honestly.

"Yea?" she smiled teasingly. "And how does it look?"

I kept the back of her hand pressed gently to my lips as I smiled slightly and whispered, "It's perfect."

XxXxX

"Did you pack all your clothes, Edward?"

I looked up at Bella as I closed the last of my suitcase and took in the empty bedroom that we were currently standing in. Three weeks had gone by faster than I thought possible. The confirmation for the termination of our divorce had been mailed to us four days ago and we had celebrated together, spending a quiet night at home, wrapped in each others arms. And tomorrow we would be getting on a plane and leaving our world here in New York behind, starting fresh in a new place.

"Yea, baby. You?" I asked her as she put a fourth suitcase next to the bedroom door.

"Yup," she replied. "I'm beat." She sighed heavily and sat down on the ground, stretching her legs out in front of her.

"Do you want to order dinner?" I asked her.

She nodded at me and smiled, and then it turned into a frown. "Crap, I threw away all the menus when I was packing up the kitchen appliances and everything," she said regretfully.

I shrugged. "It's alright, I'll go downstairs and get one of the phone books that are sitting in the lobby."

"I'll go with you," she said, standing up again. "I need to stretch my legs."

I chuckled and followed her out of the room, smacking her ass on the way out just because I wanted to, and loving the small squeal it emanated from her beautiful mouth.

"Hey!" she laughed as I opened the front door of our apartment for her.

I simply smiled and shrugged, closing the door behind us both as we made our way down the hallway. Just as we were going to turn the corner, someone came around it and walked straight into both of us.

"Whoa, sorry," I said at the same time Bella said, "Excuse us."

When I made eye contact with the person who had collided with us, my mouth nearly dropped open in shock. Jacob Black stood before us, glancing back and forth between Bella and me. After what had happened between him and Bella, he had moved a few stories down in the building, obviously to avoid any awkward run-in with me. That was probably best, seeing as I would have most likely kicked his ass had I seen him then.

"J-Jake," Bella stammered out quietly. "Hi."

He looked at Bella and swallowed a large lump in his throat before nodding curtly. "Bella," he greeted. He glanced at me quickly before averting his gaze to his shoes.

"Jacob, how are you?" I asked casually, trying to keep my composure. Part of moving on from what had happened between Bella and me was forgiving. That included Jacob.

He finally looked up at me, seeming a little surprised that I was acknowledging him in a friendly manner. "I'm-I'm alright. How about yourself?" he asked in a formal tone.

I nodded. "I'm good, thank you."

There was an awkward silence for about a minute until Bella spoke up again. "Jake," she sighed deeply, sounding almost pained. "I am so…incredibly sorry for what happened five months ago," she said gently. "I never…I never meant to hurt you." She bit her trembling bottom lip, clearly trying to keep her tears at bay.

Jacob looked at Bella for the longest time before he opened his mouth to speak. "I know, Bella," he whispered. "I'm sorry for taking advantage of you. You were upset and…I shouldn't…I shouldn't have…" he trailed off, shaking his head.

Bella shook her head, a tear running down her cheek. "You have nothing to apologize for, Jake. You were always so nice to me and…I turned around and did something like that…" She paused for a minute, reigning in her composure before shaking her head again. "But I really want to put it behind us. I really…want us to be okay again."

He nodded. "I'd really like that, Bella." Jacob looked at her a moment longer before surprisingly turning his gaze to me. "I'm sorry, Edward," he said quietly. "I know it doesn't change anything or…make-up for anything, but…I want you to know I always thought you were a really great guy. Friendly, polite…I'm just really sorry for how things turned out."

I nodded slightly. "Me too."

He extended his hand out to me and after hesitating a moment, I grasped it firmly in mine and shook it—a silent agreement that we were putting the past behind us.

"So what brings you up here?" I asked once I released his hand. "I thought you moved downstairs."

He nodded. "Yea, well uh, my—" He stopped talking and looked at something over my shoulder, a small smile forming on his lips. Bella and I both turned our heads and saw a young woman around Jacob's age with long black hair walking over to us. She smiled at Bella and me before going to Jacob and taking his hand.

"Hey, I was wondering what was taking you so long," she said, kissing him on the cheek before looking at Bella and me. "Hi, I'm Leah." She shook hands with Bella gently, then me, before looking back at Jake.

"This is my girlfriend, Leah," Jacob introduced, looking at Leah with clear adoration on his face. "She lives on this level, I was just picking her up." He looked back at Bella and I as he put his arm around Leah's waist.

"How long have you guys been together?" Bella asked, smiling widely.

"About a month and a half now. She's…the best thing that's ever happened to me," he replied sincerely.

I nodded and smiled slightly as I looked at Bella, knowing exactly what he meant.

"Hey, so it's none of my business, but are you moving? I haven't seen you around the building for a while, Edward. And I've seen a lot of boxes being moved from here," Jacob said.

I nodded, putting my arm around Bella's shoulders. "We went to Seattle for my sister, Alice's, wedding and we loved it there so much, we decided to move there," I smiled, giving him the extremely abridged version.

"That's great," Jacob said genuinely. "So are you two…?" he trailed off, motioning between Bella and me. "I mean, it's none of my business or anything, I just…"

"It's fine, Jacob," I interrupted him calmly. "Bella and I are together. We're better than ever, actually." I looked down at Bella and she smiled back at me.

Jacob nodded and offered me a genuine smile. "Good. I'm happy for you guys."

I looked back at Jacob and smiled in gratitude at his statement.

"Well, Edward and I were heading down, so we can ride together," Bella said a little shyly.

Jacob and Leah agreed and the four of us got into the elevator and made small talk on the way down to the lobby. Leah was a very nice girl and I could tell she and Jacob were extremely happy together. We said our final goodbye to Jacob, telling him we were leaving tomorrow, and he wished us the best of luck to which both Bella and I returned. Me and Bella got out at the lobby and Jacob and Leah smiled and waved as the doors to the elevators closed—they were heading down to the parking garage.

Bella and I walked hand in hand to the front entrance and I picked up a copy of the yellow-pages, smiling at her as we headed back toward the elevators.

"Wait," Bella said, tugging on my hand and stopping me in the middle of the small lobby.

"What?" I asked her, confused.

"Let's just enjoy this for a second."

"Enjoy what?" I chuckled.

"This is our last night in our apartment. Just…let it sink in," she replied softly, closing her eyes.

I watched Bella with a small smile on my face and couldn't help myself when I leaned in and pressed my lips gently to hers. I pulled away slowly and her eyes opened, staring back into mine.

"Did you enjoy it?" I whispered, smiling crookedly at her.

"Yea," she smiled. "It was perfect."

XxXxX

There were boxes everywhere and only mine and Bella's room was completely finished, yet my mother and sister still insisted on throwing Bella a birthday party for her twenty-sixth birthday. We had only officially been moved into our new home for two weeks, so there was only a couch and loveseat in the living room and a small dining room table. Thankfully, the kitchen was fully stocked with our plates and silverware so we had something to work with, but other than that most of the boxes and furniture had yet to be arranged in their rightful places.

A week after arriving in Seattle, I had called John Jenks—just as I had promised—and set up an interview. I had had it three days ago and he called me the next day, happy to say he wanted to hire me. Bella and I had celebrated that night, choosing to christen the floor of the unfurnished den since we hadn't spent a whole lot of time in there yet.

After much insisting, I had finally convinced Bella to let us use it as her work space where she could write freely and finish her novel. She agreed, under the condition that we also make it a library, putting a large bookshelf in there for all of our books, and a small couch. She said she wanted someplace for us to sit together when we wanted to relax in a small, quiet place.

Overall, things were really starting to come together. Bella spent her free time—however scarce it was at the moment—writing continuously. She said she only had a couple more chapters to write before she would be finished with her book and I was extremely excited to be able to read it when she was done.

"Where's the birthday girl?" Jasper asked as he handed me my second beer of the evening and sat beside me on the couch in the living room where my father, Charlie, Emmett, and Rosalie were currently playing _Scene It_. I didn't even know anyone in my family owned that game.

I looked in the kitchen where Alice and my mother were currently cooking dinner and shrugged, sitting up and placing my beer on the table. "I don't know. I saw her in the kitchen with Alice and Mom ten minutes ago."

"Are you talking about Bella?" Rosalie asked. At my nod, she shrugged. "I saw her head upstairs. She said she'd be right back, but she seemed urgent about something."

I looked at her confused and nodded as I got off the couch and excused myself for a minute as I headed upstairs. I peeked into our bedroom and saw it was empty, but the bathroom door was closed and I could see light shining from under it. I walked over and knocked softly.

"Bella," I called gently. "Baby, are you in there?"

"Yea," she replied in a strained voice. "I'll…um…I'll be right out." She sounded distracted.

"What are you doing?" I chuckled.

"Nnnn….nothing," she dragged on, sounding like she was barely paying attention to me.

"Are you okay?"

No reply.

"Bella?"

Again, no reply.

"Hey, open the door," I pleaded gently. "I want to make sure you're alright."

Seconds later, the door opened slowly and Bella stood before me, tears running down her face. She looked shocked about something.

"Bella, what is it? Are you alright?" I panicked, placing my hands on either side of her face.

She held up her hand and I glanced down to see that she was holding a pregnancy test. I looked back up at her, my entire body going numb.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered.

"You're—" I couldn't even finish my statement. I was speechless. We had only been trying for about two months. I couldn't believe it.

She stepped away from me and motioned to the bathroom counter where another five pregnancy tests sat. "I wanted to be sure," she said in a small voice before looking back at me sheepishly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I started feeling sick a few days ago and I thought I was just exhausted from the move, but then my period is like, three weeks late and I just…I _knew_ it had to be…" she rambled on nervously, obviously thinking I would be upset that she had kept this from me.

"Shhh," I murmured, placing my thumb over her lips. "You have no idea how happy I am right now, Bella," I whispered.

She smiled, the tears still falling from her eyes. "This is the best birthday present I've ever gotten, Edward," she said quietly. "Thank you."

I shook my head, placing my hand on her small stomach. "No, love," I whispered in response, "thank _you_."

I kissed her deeply, holding her close to me. We stayed like that for several minutes until Emmett called up to us, asking if we were alright. Bella and I chuckled, both knowing we were more than alright, before I helped her clean up the pregnancy tests and make ourselves presentable before heading back downstairs.

"There you guys are," Esme sighed as she took Bella's birthday cake out of the oven and Alice prepared to put frosting on it.

"What's with the matching smiles?" Alice asked, amused.

"Oh God, did you guys just have a quickie in the bathroom?" Rosalie groaned.

"Rose," Esme admonished, despite the small smile on her face.

"She's just excited to be turning twenty-six," Carlisle teased, walking over and kissing Bella on the cheek.

Bella blushed slightly and smiled. "Yes, very excited," she murmured.

"What's up?" Charlie asked us, watching us both intently. Everyone here knew Bella and I well enough to know something was up.

"Yea, are you guys okay?" Jasper asked.

"More than okay," I replied, putting my arm around Bella's waist and smiling down at her, silently asking if it was okay to tell them. She nodded, turning back to our family.

"Edward and I…we um…we're…having a baby," she said softly, looking back up at me with a large smile on her face. I was sure it matched the one on mine perfectly.

The entire room erupted into excitement as everyone walked over to us, congratulating us and hugging us. We thanked them for their words of encouragement and support as Bella and I explained we had literally just found out. The room was still abuzz with excitement of our news once we all sat down to dinner. We all talked freely with one another, laughing and enjoying the moment—the first of many now that Bella and I were closer to our family.

The cake was brought out and we all sang 'Happy Birthday' to Bella as she looked down and shook her head, smiling and blushing deep crimson. I kissed her cheek softly after she blew out the candles and we spent the rest of the night enjoying our time with our family.

Charlie was staying in the guest room downstairs since he had driven down from Forks, and the rest of the family left around midnight. After saying goodnight to Charlie—we had managed to put a bed in the guest room in time for his visit—Bella and I headed up to our room. After brushing our teeth and changing into our pajamas, we climbed into bed together, Bella's back pressed against my chest firmly.

"We can call tomorrow and make an appointment to see an obstetrician. See how far along you are," I murmured against her hair. Esme had given us several numbers of doctors she knew who were highly qualified and would be very good choices for us.

"Okay," she replied, placing her hand over mine as it lay lightly on her stomach. "I love when you hold me, Edward," she whispered. "You make me feel so safe. I know you're going to be an amazing father."

Her words made my heart constrict deeply. It was amazing to hear how much faith she had in me, how much she believed in me. I tugged on her shoulder gently, forcing her to lie on her back as I climbed on top of her.

"And you're going to be an amazing mother, Bella," I whispered before capturing her lips with my own. She moaned into my mouth and I reached my hand under her shirt, pulling it up and over her head.

"Charlie's downstairs," she warned quietly as I began trailing kisses down her neck.

"I can be quiet," I murmured between kisses.

"Yea, but I don't know if _I_ can."

_Fuck_.

"Bella," I moaned softly.

"We can't have sex with my father downstairs. What if he hears the bed moving or something?" she pointed out softly.

"We can still touch each other," I murmured against her neck, sucking on it hard.

"Oh God," she moaned, titling her head back to give me better access.

"Please," I whispered, reaching my hand into the waistband of her pajama pants. "Just let me touch you."

She moaned quietly as I dipped my fingers into her panties and found her already wet for me. I pushed one finger into her, rubbing her clit with my thumb at the same time. I gasped when she bit my neck to muffle her moans and then added a second finger inside of her, pumping in and out of her quickly.

"Edward," she whispered, her body trembling beneath me. "Do it harder."

I complied with her request and pumped my fingers in and out of her quicker, still rubbing her clit furiously until she kissed my neck hard and clenched around my fingers. She managed to hold back her moans by burying her head into the crook of my neck as her climax took over her body.

I kissed her cheek, then her two closed eyelids, and finally her forehead, lingering there a little longer. I rolled off of her and she opened her eyes, reaching out to grasp me through my thin flannel pajama bottoms. I grasped her wrist gently and shook my head.

"No. Just you," I whispered. She opened her mouth to protest, but I continued before she could, "Happy twenty-sixth birthday, love."

Her features softened and she smiled slightly at me before resting her head on my chest. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and she draped her leg over both of mine, cuddling deep into my side.

"I love you, Edward."

"I love you, too, Bella," I replied before reaching down to touch her stomach gently with my other hand—the place where our child was growing. "And I love you, too."

XxXxX

The building was absolutely massive and as I rode up the elevator to the fifteenth floor, I still couldn't believe I was working here. It was my first official day working at the The Law Offices of John Jenks, and I was equal parts nervous and excited.

I walked down the corridor to the second to last office on the left where the door was open and John Jenks was waiting for me on the couch inside. I walked into the office, my gaze immediately going to the large window and the amazing view of Seattle.

"Not too shabby, huh?" John said, smiling widely as he stood up and walked over to me, grasping my hand in his for a firm handshake.

"It's spectacular," I replied honestly, walking over to the window and gazing out of it. I couldn't believe this was my office. I had met with John the other day and he had given me the tour of the place, but I hadn't actually been inside of my office. It was a week after Bella's birthday—after we had found out we were having a baby together. The thought made me smile and at the same time miss her terribly.

She had decided that with the new baby coming, she was going to take some time off and finish writing her novel and work on getting it published. Esme still had her friend at _The Seattle Times _who was always looking for new writers, but I was extremely proud when Bella had decided to hold off on that and see how her novel would turn out. She already had a contact here in Seattle from when she worked at the magazine back in New York. Her name was Victoria Mead and she had actually been an aspiring book editor, working at the magazine until she got her break.

Apparently, she had read quite a few of Bella's written pieces and had encouraged Bella to pursue writing as a profession. Victoria had given Bella her number after she finally got offered a position at a publishing company here in Seattle and had told Bella to contact her if she was ever near Seattle or if she had anything Victoria might want to read. That had come in handy and Bella had finally worked up the nerve to call her—after much insisting on my part—and they set up a coffee meeting for a week from now.

"I'm really glad you decided to take me up on my offer, Edward," John Jenks said after a moment. I had forgotten where we were standing and once again, the breathtaking view of the city below me was unfathomable.

I turned around and smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you so much for even considering me," I replied sincerely.

"It was my pleasure," he smiled, just as there was a knock on the open door. We both turned to see a woman standing there, a large smile on her face.

"Ahh, Edward, this is Jane. Your secretary," John said happily, motioning for Jane to come inside.

Oh crap. I had forgotten to discuss the secretary situation with John beforehand and request that I have a male secretary. I doubted anything compared to the Tanya catastrophe would ever happen again, but ever since then I didn't think I felt comfortable with a female secretary.

"Uh, hi," I said after a moment of just standing there stupidly. I walked over and reached my hand out. She took it gently in hers and shook it, smiling widely at me. "Nice to meet you, Jane. I'm Edward Cullen."

"Nice to meet you, Edward," she replied brightly.

I nodded and forced a tight smile before turning to John. "Um, would I be able to speak with you for a moment?" I asked politely.

"Of course," he replied before turning to Jane. "Have a seat, Jane."

Jane sat down in the oversized chair by the door as John and I walked over to the large window. I made sure to keep my voice low so that she wouldn't hear our conversation.

"Um, I probably should have mentioned this before, but is there any way I could get a male secretary?" I asked. John looked at me with a mixture of confusion and concern on his face, so I quickly added, "It's just that I've had some issues in the past with…a female working as my secretary."

John nodded understandingly and looked sympathetic. "Edward, I can assure you, Jane is very professional and she is a very hard worker."

"I believe that, I do, I just…" I trailed off, realizing that there was nothing I could do or say to change this.

"How about this? Let's just see how it goes for a few weeks, and if you still want a change, then come to me and we'll figure it out," John said sincerely.

I looked at him for a moment before nodding and letting out a defeated sigh. "Alright."

He nodded and clapped his hands together once before turning back to Jane. "Alright, well, I'll leave you two alone to get to know each other better. Edward, come to my office at the end of the day and let me know how your first day went."

I nodded and watched as John left the room, closing the door behind him. I managed a weak smile at Jane who was still sitting on the chair and smiling brightly at me. I loosened my tie slightly, suddenly feeling like I couldn't breathe, and walked behind my new desk and sat in my office chair.

"So, Edward, tell me about you," Jane said, standing up and walking over to one of the seats across from my desk and sitting down.

I let out a heavy breath and looked at her. She seemed nice enough, but so had Tanya when I had first met her. "Well, I'm twenty-six years old, just moved back to Washington about three weeks ago, and you already know this is my first day," I replied calmly.

She nodded, the smile still on her face. "Wow, you're only twenty-six? You must have been very smart in school," she said, and I could have sworn there was a hint of flirtation in her voice.

_Shit, Cullen, you're being paranoid._

"I'm also happily married to a beautiful woman and we're expecting our first child together, so let's just put that out there now. I am not single," I suddenly blurted out, instantly regretting the word vomit the second it left my mouth.

Jane seemed taken aback by my outburst at first before she started laughing quietly. I looked at her confused, thinking she had possibly lost her mind, when she lifted her hand up, silently asking me to give her a minute. Once she had composed herself, she looked up at me and sighed.

"Edward, does it bother you that I am a female secretary?" she asked seriously once she had sobered up completely.

I swallowed a giant lump in my throat and nodded slightly. "I've had…a situation in the past where it's been a problem," I said vaguely, hoping she would understand.

"Well," she said, letting out a deep breath and still smiling. "Why don't I tell you a little about me? I'm twenty-nine years old and have been a secretary for about four years now. I worked for John Jenks in Chicago and when he told me he was opening an office in Seattle, I jumped at the opportunity because my partner lives here."

I nodded slightly, but something definitely caught my attention. "P-Partner?" I stammered.

She laughed quietly and nodded. "Yup. I'm a lesbian, Edward. So you don't have to worry, I don't want any of your man-meat," she said jokingly.

I stared at her in complete mortification. "I am so sorry, I didn't mean to assume—"

She waved me off. "Don't sweat it. Bad experiences, I get it," she replied sincerely.

I nodded and offered her my first genuine smile. "Well, um, you know…it wouldn't have made a difference to me either way. If you were a great secretary, I wouldn't have complained or anything."

She nodded. "I know. I also know that I can come off as flirty a lot. Guys constantly get the wrong impression, so I'm sorry if I sent off that vibe or anything."

I shook my head. "No apology necessary, really."

"Well, now that that is out of the way, why don't we get down to business? Here are a few clients that John wants you to take a look at."

The day only got progressively better from there and I found that Jane was a fantastic secretary and a great person. We even had lunch together to get to know each other better. I was still embarrassed that I had assumed that she had been flirting with me. I had to learn to let go of the past and not let it affect how I perceived everything in my life.

I kissed Bella passionately when I got home and told her about my day, including the part about my new secretary. She couldn't help but laugh at me as I told her how paranoid I had been.

"Oh, Edward. You have to understand that not every girl is after your man-meat," she teased, using Jane's words from earlier. Bella had had a field day when I told her she had said that.

I smiled crookedly at her and twirled my fork around the delicious pasta she had made for dinner. "What about you? Are you after my man-meat?" I joked.

She smirked at me and took a sip of her water. "Always."

XxXxX

"Edward, where the hell are my Cheez-It's?" Bella yelled from downstairs.

I was currently in the bedroom that was right down the hall from mine and Bella's master bedroom—the one that we were setting up for the baby. Bella was about eight months pregnant now and I was putting the crib together. It was the last thing that needed to be done in the room.

After we had found out we were having a little girl, I had to admit I was slightly disappointed at first. Every man wanted a son that they could teach to play catch and that could be the man of the house when I wasn't around. But when Bella looked at me with a huge smile on her face, I suddenly wanted my baby girl to have her mother's deep brown eyes and stunning complexion.

When Bella had found out she was pregnant on her twenty-sixth birthday, we went to the obstetrician and discovered she was already about four weeks along. I couldn't believe how quickly time had passed. In just a little over a month, we would be bringing our first beautiful child into this world.

"Edward!"

I was brought out of my musings by Bella's loud, angry voice, and I turned around to see her standing in the doorway of the nursery. We had gotten into a fight earlier in the day and that was why I had holed myself in the baby's room for the majority of the evening while Bella stayed down in the den, writing.

"Hey, baby," I started quietly, not wanting to piss her off more. I honestly didn't understand why she was so mad at me. She had been upset with me since I had come home from work less than three hours ago.

"Don't 'baby' me, Edward. Where are my Cheez-It's?"

"They're in the pantry. Third shelf," I replied automatically.

I knew it had to just be the pregnancy hormones because I honestly hadn't said anything to make her this angry. When I came home from work, she had been sitting in the living room eating from a pint of Ben and Jerry's. I saw that it was about halfway finished and an empty pint was sitting right next to her, along with a bag of cookies, so I had simply asked if she had eaten all of that together. I hadn't meant to sound as shocked as I did because I knew she was eating for two—but I still couldn't believe she still had room for more.

"Are you still mad at me?" I asked her softly.

"Why would I be mad? You pretty much called me a fat-ass!" she yelled angrily, putting her hands on her hips.

My mouth fell open in shock. "Bella, I never—"

"You pretty much implied it, Edward," she snapped before turning on her heel and heading downstairs, probably to find her box of Cheez-It crackers.

I sighed heavily and got off the floor, leaving the half finished crib for later as I headed downstairs after her. Bella was just coming out of the pantry with a scowl on her face when I entered the kitchen.

"Bella, I never said you were a fat-ass. I was just surprised you ate it all."

Her eyes widened and I immediately regretted my wording. "Wow, thanks," she snapped sarcastically, brushing past me and heading to the den. I followed after her and stepped in just as she took a seat in front of her computer.

"What are you writing?" I asked her.

She pounded away at the keys. "Nothing."

I sighed and looked at the large bookshelf on the side wall and walked over, pulling out the one I recognized. It was Bella's first published novel and it had become a best-seller. I hadn't been surprised of course, but she had been absolutely shocked and ecstatic.

Victoria and her had met and discussed Bella's novel a couple weeks after Bella's birthday and once she had finally completed it, she sent it to Victoria, who, a little over two months later, called Bella into her office where she told her the great news—that both she and her boss loved her work. They offered her a contract with the publishing company that same day and Bella got to work making the necessary changes to her book. Three months after that, she was a published author and her book only seemed to do better and better as time went on.

"Working on another best-seller?" I asked, trying to ease the tension from the room as I slid her book back onto the shelf. I had read it twice already and thought it was spectacular. It was a romance-suspense novel that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

"It's only been two months since my last novel came out, let's not get ahead of ourselves," she retorted, glaring at her computer screen as she continued pounding away at the keys.

I stood there for a little bit and looked through some of the other books on the shelf before I made my way behind where she was sitting. She didn't acknowledge my presence until I placed my hands on her shoulders and started rubbing gently.

"Stop," she snapped, her fingers ceasing on the keyboard.

"Just let me give you a massage. You've been writing all day and that's not good for you or the baby," I replied softly. She let out a heavy sigh, but eventually relented—albeit reluctantly—and continued writing.

I didn't read over her shoulder because I knew she hated that, so instead I looked down at the swell of her stomach, still in awe that she was carrying our child inside of her. I continued working the knots from her shoulders and neck as she continued writing and my gaze eventually fell to the valley between her breasts which were clearly visible through the thin, flowy top she was wearing.

I slowly slid my hands from her shoulders to her collarbone until I grasped both of her luscious breasts in my hands, massaging them gently through the fabric of her shirt. Bella's fingers once again stopped their movements on the keyboard and I knew she was having an inner war with herself—either give in and let me have her, or be stubborn and turn me away. I knew her raging hormones were making her extra horny lately—and I wasn't complaining—but I also knew that she would want to stand her ground and not give into me so easily.

"I'm mad at you," she finally stated firmly, grabbing my wrists and pulling them off of her breasts. She saved her work and turned off the laptop, closing it and getting off her chair, leaving me standing there, gaping after her.

I heard her head upstairs and I quickly followed after her. She was just heading into our bedroom when I reached the top step. I went in behind her and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her back against my chest.

"Edward," she said in a warning tone that only turned me on more than I already was.

"Bella," I whispered in response, nuzzling my face in the crook of her neck, knowing it would drive her crazy. I placed a gentle kiss under her jaw. "You know I didn't mean to hurt your feelings earlier. It didn't come out how I wanted it to. You know I think you're beautiful."

"It was insensitive," she snapped.

"I know," I murmured against her skin, causing her to shiver slightly. "But you have to admit. Two pints of ice cream, and a bag of cookies? I was just in awe that you could do that," I chuckled.

"I'm eating for two here, Edward. I'd like to see how you would handle it," she shot back, though her tone sounded lighter.

I chuckled against her skin and placed a kiss on the side of her neck. "I know. I wouldn't handle it half as wonderfully as you do, love. I'm sorry. Please don't be angry with me," I whispered.

She let out a sigh and I knew she was finally caving. "I'm sorry, too. It's my stupid pregnancy hormones. My mood swings are everywhere and I hate that you have to deal with my crap."

I shook my head. "I don't mind. It's worth it," I said honestly, reaching down to caress her stomach.

She turned around in my arms and wrapped her arms around my neck tightly. "But there are some advantages to these hormones," she said seductively.

I smiled crookedly at her and nodded. "Believe me, I know."

She smiled devilishly and then her lips were on mine, attacking, biting, sucking; driving me absolutely crazy with need. I wrapped my arms tighter around her waist, pulling her closer to me, needing to feel her.

I backed us both up onto the bed, sitting on the edge and pulling her on top of me until she straddled my waist. Her hands lifted my shirt off and over my head before they fumbled with the belt on my pants.

"Eager, are we?" I teased.

"Shut up," she mumbled against my lips before she had my zipper undone and her hand grasped my now extremely hard cock.

"Shit," I hissed, pulling back to look down at her hand buried inside my pants.

She stroked my cock achingly slow until I couldn't take it anymore and I lifted her up, laying her on her back on the bed. I pulled my pants off and kicked off my shoes and socks, only leaving on my boxer-briefs. I reached for the waistband of Bella's yoga pants and pulled them down roughly before lifting her shirt up and over her head. And she wasn't wearing a bra. How the hell had I not noticed that?

I latched my mouth onto one of her sensitive nipples and sucked greedily as her hands fisted into my hair, pulling hard. "Edward," she moaned.

I looked up at her, her eyes closed, her face a light pink from her arousal. She was absolutely breathtaking. And she was mine.

I worked my way back up her body and pressed my mouth to hers once more, our tongues fighting for dominance. I finally pulled back after a moment and got up, walking over to the loveseat in the corner of the room and grabbing the oversized pillow on top of it.

"What are you doing?" Bella asked, sounding frustrated that I had left her.

I chuckled and walked back over to her. "Get on your hands and knees," I said softly.

She bit her lip, but did as I asked, her gorgeous ass in the air, covered only by her lacy black panties. I climbed onto the bed directly behind her and placed the pillow under her stomach for support and so that her arms wouldn't get tired from the position she was in.

"You're the most beautiful, breathtaking creature I have ever laid my eyes on," I murmured, my mouth close to her ear as I leaned over her body. I hooked my fingers into her panties and pulled them off swiftly, causing her to moan loudly. I discarded my own boxers and stroked myself roughly a few times. "Do you want this?" I asked her, pressing the tip of my dick against her swollen clit.

"You know I do, Edward," she half moaned, half whispered in response.

Without another word, I entered her swiftly, going as deep as she could take me. I sat up on my knees and grabbed hold of her waist as I plunged into her continuously, reveling in the noises she was making for me.

"Harder, Edward!" she screamed breathlessly.

"Harder?"

"Yes, fuck, Edward!"

I pumped into her hard, reaching my hand around her waist to rub her clit furiously. I was reaching my own brink and wanted to get her there first.

"Come on, Bella. Let go for me."

She let out another loud moan before I felt her entire frame shudder as she exploded around me. I leaned forward, careful to keep my weight off of her, and placed my hands on either side of hers.

"I love being inside you," I murmured against her neck. "I wish I could stay like this…_fuck_…forever." With a final thrust, I let go inside of her, emptying all that I had into her. I slowed my pace until I finally stopped and pulled slowly out of her, helping Bella to lie on her back and throwing the pillow onto the floor.

"Mmm, that was the most amazing make-up sex. We should fight more often," Bella mumbled, a lazy smile on her face.

"You liked that?" I teased, lying down next to her on my side so that I could face her. I placed my hand over her stomach, rubbing it gently.

"Yea," she replied before turning her head to look at me. "You know, I never did find my Cheez-It's."

I smiled sheepishly at her. "That's because I finished off the box yesterday."

Her mouth fell open in shock. "What the hell? You said they were on the third shelf in the pantry!"

"You were already pissed at me, I didn't want to tell you I ate your snack, _too_! You would have fucking castrated me!"

Her shocked expression slowly turned into a smile until she was laughing softly and shaking her head. "Well, you better go to the grocery store and get me some more tomorrow. You know I've been craving them like no other."

"Yea, I know," I mumbled.

She looked at me, her mouth falling open again, despite the smile on her face. "Hey!"

I laughed heartily and leaned forward, kissing her on the lips gently. "We'll go tomorrow and get some more, okay? I promise."

"Okay," she mumbled against my lips. "And some French bread, too? I'm craving it."

I chuckled against her mouth and placed a lingering kiss on her cheek. "Anything you want."

XxXxX

_Three Years Later_

I walked into the quiet house and placed my briefcase and folders on the table in the foyer before kicking off my black dress shoes and loosening my tie.

"Bella?" I called out, walking toward the heavenly smell coming from the kitchen.

"Daddy!" called a sweet little voice from the living room. I looked down at the ground and saw my daughter, Lily, sitting on the ground playing with her stuffed teddy-bear.

I smiled and walked over to her, bending down and scooping her up in my arms. "Hey, angel," I cooed softly, bouncing her lightly in my arms as I turned toward the kitchen and walked over to where Bella was leaning against the counter with a wooden spoon in her hand, a large smile on her face.

"Hey, baby," I greeted Bella when I reached her, leaning forward and giving her a chaste kiss on the lips. "How are my girls?" I asked, looking down at Lily.

"We're doing very well, aren't we, sweetheart?" Bella replied, leaning forward and kissing Lily on the cheek. "Gosh, I can't believe she's going to be three next month," Bella said in awe, watching Lily carefully.

I nodded my head in agreement. Time really did go by fast—it was unbelievable sometimes.

"Did you have a good day at work?" Bella asked me as she walked back over to the stove to stir something.

"Yea, it was good," I said, walking back over to where Lily was sitting on a blanket playing with her stuffed animals. I kissed the top of her head as I sat her back down and then walked back into the kitchen to where Bella was cooking. I wrapped my arms around her waist from behind and rested my chin on her shoulder. "Did you meet with Victoria today?"

She nodded against me. "Yea, I did. She just finished reading my manuscript. I only have a few changes to make."

"That's great, love," I replied sincerely.

Although Bella had already had two best-selling novels and was now about to publish her third, she actually did accept a position at _The Seattle Times_ as well, saying she missed writing short pieces on a regular basis. I was extremely proud of her for achieving what she wanted. It also worked out nicely because she could write from home most of the time and she loved being able to be here to spend time with Lily.

I, myself, was also doing extremely well at John Jenks' law firm. It was an amazing environment and I didn't have to work too many crazy hours, so I got to spend a lot of time with my two favorite girls. Everyday I woke up feeling nothing but immeasurable happiness that Bella and I had decided to make the change to move to Seattle. I couldn't imagine being anywhere different. I loved our home, I enjoyed the city, and the best part was that our family was always nearby whenever we wanted to see them. This was exactly where we needed to be and I couldn't imagine being anywhere else, with _anyone_ else.

"Emmett called earlier. He wants to go golfing with you, Jasper, and Carlisle this weekend. He told me to tell you to call him back," Bella said, putting the top on the pot she was stirring and turning around in my arms. She smiled up at me and reached up, kissing my chin gently.

"Last time we went golfing, he almost drove our golf cart into the lake," I chuckled.

Bella laughed and wrapped her arms around my neck, holding me close to her. "I missed you today," she said, nuzzling her face into the crook of my neck.

"I missed you, too. I haven't seen you since eight hours ago," I teased.

"Shut up," she laughed quietly, pulling away and punching me in the arm.

"I'm joking, love. You know I always miss you. Even if we're only apart for five minutes." I smiled and kissed her lips once more.

She smiled and pushed me away gently, saying she needed to finish dinner. I gave her a quick kiss on the lips again before going to the living room and picking up Lily to get her washed up for dinner.

After Lily was cleaned up and I had changed into some more comfortable clothes, we headed back downstairs where Bella was getting started on setting the table. I placed Lily back down on her blanket so she could play with her toys some more before dinner and I made my way over to Bella and took the plates from her hands.

"I'll do that, love," I said, finishing setting the table as she thanked me and walked back over to the stove to check on the chicken and broccoli. She poured the rice into a serving bowl and placed it on the table before placing the chicken and broccoli on a serving dish as well and putting it beside the rice.

I took a small piece of chicken and placed it on Lily's plate, cutting it up small so she could chew it easily without choking and Bella got the soft vegetables she had prepared for her as well, putting some onto the plate where I had cut up her chicken. I put a little bit of rice next to the chicken, knowing Lily wouldn't eat all of it.

"Lily, it's time for dinner, sweetheart," Bella called to her, pouring juice into a cup for her.

I made sure Lily's small booster seat was on the chair as she made her way to the table. I lifted her up and into her chair and gave her her small plastic fork, putting her cup of juice within her reach before I sat beside her at the circular, glass table, and Bella took her seat beside me, placing the salad she had made next to the chicken and broccoli.

"It looks great, Bella," I said to her, leaning over and kissing her cheek as we began eating dinner.

She smiled at me and we spent the rest of the evening talking about work and our plans for the weekend. We wanted to take Lily to the zoo because we hadn't been there with her before.

"Thank you, Momma," Lily said loudly once she had finished eating half of her food.

Bella looked over at her and laughed quietly. "You're welcome, baby."

Bella and I had both finished by then as well so I offered to do the dishes while Bella took Lily upstairs to give her a bath before tucking her into bed. By the time I made it upstairs, Bella was putting Lily into bed.

"Come say 'night, Daddy," Lily giggled as Bella kissed her cheek.

I walked over to the bed and kissed the side of Bella's head before sitting down on the small bed beside my beautiful daughter. Bella had been extremely excited that Lily had my green eyes, but I was even more thrilled that she had Bella's beautiful brown hair and fair complexion.

"Goodnight, beautiful," I whispered, leaning forward and kissing Lily's cheek gently. "I love you."

"Love you, too, Daddy," she replied, wrapping her little arms around my neck. I hugged her to me close before she released me and lay down on her back.

"See you tomorrow morning, sweetheart," Bella said, leaning over and kissing Lily's cheek soundly. "Sweet dreams, my angel."

Bella and I walked quietly out of the room once Lily closed her eyes, and we closed the door almost all the way, leaving it a little bit open because Lily got scared when it was shut all the way.

I wrapped my arm around Bella's waist as we walked to our bedroom down the hall together. When we entered our room, I walked over to the nightstand and took my shirt off. I had already changed into my sweats when I came home so I decided to sleep in them.

Bella changed into her pajamas and brushed her teeth. I did the same after her and fifteen minutes later, we had both climbed into bed. I left the light on because I knew neither of us were ready for sleep yet and I held my arm out for Bella to come lay down beside me. She snuggled against me, resting her head on my chest.

"Mmm, I love this," she murmured against my heart.

I smiled and nuzzled my face into her hair. "I do, too."

We lay in silence for a couple of minutes, enjoying the feel of lying in each other's arms.

"Oh, I forgot to ask. How's my little guy doing?" I asked her gently.

She lifted her head up and smiled at me. "You don't know if it's a boy yet, Edward."

I shrugged my shoulders, my wide smile mirroring her own. "This one just feels like a boy to me," I replied, only half-joking. "Besides, since Emmett and Rosalie just had a boy, it's kind of like a sign."

She rolled her eyes and touched her small stomach. She was only about two months along so she wasn't showing a whole lot yet.

"Anyways, he _or_ she is doing well," she responded happily.

I smiled at her and placed my own hand over her own that was resting on her stomach. "Whoever he or she is, is going to be extremely loved when they come into this world," I said softly, staring into her vibrant brown eyes.

She smiled gently at me and leaned forward, pressing her lips to mine firmly. "I love you so much, Edward."

"I love you, too, Bella," I whispered in response.

She pulled away and lay on her back and looked at me with a small smile on her face. "When do you think Alice and Jasper will have kids?"

"I don't know, I feel like they've been in their honeymoon stage forever," I chuckled.

Bella laughed and nodded in agreement. "That they have." She paused and stared intently into my eyes for a few moments. "Edward…this life…everything we've done together? I just…I wanted to thank you for giving it all to me. Lily…and…this," she motioned to her stomach before looking back up at me. "And for loving me. And for never giving up on us…no matter how tough things got…" she trailed off, her voice shaking slightly.

I reached out and stroked her cheek gently with my thumb. "Bella, you've given me everything, too," I murmured sincerely. "You stuck by me and loved me…and you never gave up on us, either. And you know why?" I asked. She watched me in silence as a few small tears fell down her face. "Because I love you. And I will always love you. There's no one else in this world I'd rather spend my life with."

"Oh, Edward," she sobbed, leaning forward and snuggling into my chest again. "I feel the same way."

I nodded, stroking her hair gently, and kissed the top of her head. "I know, Bella."

She sat up after a moment and wiped a few of her tears away as she looked down at me. "I didn't mean to get all emotional," she laughed quietly. "It's just earlier today, Lily asked me a question and…I don't know…it made me realize things…feel things."

"What did she ask you?" I questioned curiously, reaching out and stroking her arm gently.

"She asked me why I love you," Bella whispered.

I smiled crookedly at her and reached up to cup her cheek in my hand. "And what did you say?"

She smiled softly at me and leaned forward until her lips were barely brushing against mine. "I told her I love you because I don't know how not to."

I stared intensely into her eyes, my heart constricting from the depth of her words, her emotions. I hoped that my eyes let her know that I felt the exact same way. She seemed to understand what I didn't say out loud because moments later her lips were pressed against mine.

The life we had together now was something I could have only ever dreamed about. We had our family near us, a beautiful daughter, and another baby on the way. I still couldn't believe all that we had been through together, but laying here with Bella now, I knew it had all been worth it. Because she gave me everything I could have ever wanted—a beautiful family, a life to live for, and, most importantly, love.

As I lay in bed with Bella later that night, I heard her slow, steady breathing, signaling that she was fast asleep in my arms. I lay on my back with my arm wrapped around her, staring up at the dark ceiling. I reflected back on all that we had been through together—including the rough times. But we had made it out stronger than ever. It felt like the time we had spent at the lake house for Alice and Jasper's wedding was forever ago. I hardly recognized the people we were back then, when we had let our anger consume us.

But I never focused on the negatives for very long because something amazing came from those four weeks we spent together. We found each other again. We fell in love again. We became whole again. I wouldn't trade a second of any of my time with Bella for anything in the world. We needed those moments—even the hard ones—because they made us who we were now. They made us better.

I reflected back on the moment when I thought I could try to hate Bella, to ease the pain I had felt at our separation. A small laugh escaped me at the thought as I lay there with the love of my life in my arms. How I ever thought I could feel that way towards her, I would never know. Because I had loved Bella my entire life, and I always would. I didn't know how not to.

* * *

**Author's Note:Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading and being patient with me through out this story. One last thank you to all of my readers—even if you never reviewed, thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. And those that did review, thank you so much for your praise, words of encouragement, and heartfelt responses. This story means a lot to me and I am so happy that I could share it with all of you. I had tears in my eyes when I was reading and editing the last few paragraphs because it is extremely difficult for me to let this story go, but I honestly don't think it could have come to an end any better than this. I hope you all appreciated this story and enjoyed it for what it was—I know I do, and I wouldn't change anything about it.**

**Don't worry, this will _not_ be my last story. I already have a few plot ideas written down and now that I am done with this story, I can get started on some in-depth brainstorming. So keep me on author alert if you want to know when I have posted a new story. I can keep saying thank you to all of you, but I don't want to sound repetitive, so I am going to instead leave you guys with this:**

**This is just a little parting gift for all of you who have supported/read/reviewed this story. It is a playlist I have compiled of songs that either inspired chapters, reminded me of the story, or are just really nice to listen to when trying to find inspiration for writing a story like this. I hope you all enjoy it. Thank you so much for the never-ending support.**

**_'Let's Love Hate' Story Playlist:_**

**1. "The Scientist" – Coldplay**

**2. "Cold Desert" – Kings of Leon**

**3. "Set the Fire to the Third Bar" – Snow Patrol (feat. Martha Wainwright)**

**4. "Another Heart Calls" – The All-American Rejects (feat. The Pierces)**

**5. "Your Surrender" – Neon Trees**

**6. "Look After You" – The Fray**

**7. "Let Go" – Frou Frou**

**8. "Collide" – Howie Day**

**9. "With Me" – Sum 41**

**10. "Show Me What I'm Looking For" – Carolina Liar**

**11. "Breathe Your Name" – Sixpence None the Richer**

**12. "I'll Be" – Edwin McCain**

**13. "Self Inflicted" – Katy Perry**

**14. "Far Away" – Nickelback**

**15. "Your Love's A Drug" – Leighton Meester**

**16. "My Girl" – The Temptations**


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